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How many children does the King of Spain have? Star romance: King Felipe of Spain and Princess Letizia. Juan Carlos as a statesman

The history of the Spanish monarchy is unique. In April 1931, a republic was proclaimed in the country. King Alphonse abdicated the throne and left the country with his family. The dictatorship of Franco replaced the republic in Spain. However, after the death of dictator Franco in 1975, the monarchy was restored in Spain. On November 22, Juan Carlos I was proclaimed King of Spain. He made a historic speech from the throne, declaring that he wanted to be "King of all Spaniards in a free and modern society" (c).

King Juan Carlos I of Spain

Juan Carlos I (Juan Carlos de Borbon y Borbon) was born on January 5, 1938 in Rome, where the royal family lived after the proclamation of the Republic in Spain in 1931. His father is Juan de Borbon y Battenberg, Count of Barcelona. Mother - Maria de las Mercedes de Borbon y Orleans (Dona Maria de las Mercedes de Borbon y Orleans).

At the request of his father, Juan Carlos was educated in Spain, which he first visited at the age of 10. In 1954, he received a bachelor's degree from the San Isidore School in Madrid, then continued his education by becoming a military pilot and training on a warship. In 1960-61 he studied at the University of Madrid, where he studied constitutional and international law, economics and taxes.

On May 14, 1962, Juan Carlos married Princess Sophia of Greece, eldest daughter of King Paul I of Greece and Queen Frederica, in Athens. Their first daughter, Princess Helena, was born in 1963, followed by Princess Christina two years later, and Prince Philip in 1968.

After the death of Francisco Franco on November 22, 1975, Juan Carlos was proclaimed King of Spain.

Queen Sofia of Spain

Queen Sofia (Dona Sofia De Grecia y Hannover) was born in Athens on November 2, 1938. She is the first daughter of King Paul I of Greece and Queen Federica and belongs to one of the most noble families in Europe, being related to the monarchical dynasties of Russia, Germany and Great Britain. She spent part of her childhood in Egypt and South Africa, where the royal family was forced to leave during the Second World War. Sofia returned to Greece in 1946 and graduated from the prestigious German boarding school Schloss Salem. Then in Athens she studied pediatrics, music and archaeology.

On May 14, 1962, Sofia married Prince Juan Carlos. In addition to participating in protocol events, the Queen pays great attention to social activities and charity. She is the executive president of the Reina Sofia Foundation and honorary president Royal Council for Education and Disabled People and the Drug Addiction Trust. In addition, Queen Sofia is an honorary member of the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando and an honorary doctorate from the universities of Valladolid and Cambridge.

Prince Philip

Prince Philip (Principe Felipe de Borbon y Grecia), the third child in the family of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofia, was born on January 30, 1968 in Madrid. In 1977, after the proclamation of Juan Carlos as King of Spain, Philip received the title of Prince of Asturias, as well as Prince of Girona and Viana.

He began his education at the Santa Maria de los Rosales school, where he studied until 1984. Then, for a year, he prepared to enter university at Lakefield College School in Canada. After this, Philip studied for three years at military academies and colleges of three branches of the armed forces. In 1987, he made his first sea voyage as a cadet on the Spanish Navy ship Juan Sebastian Elcano, during which he was received by the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, the USA, Dominican Republic and Uruguay.

On January 30, 1986, on his eighteenth birthday, he was sworn in as the future heir to the Spanish throne.

From 1987 to 1993, Philip studied law and economics at the Autonomous University of Madrid. He also completed a master's course in international relations at Georgetown University (Washington).

Philip is involved in skiing, motocross and swimming. He was a member of the swimming team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and was also the flag bearer for Spain at the opening ceremony of the games.

Infanta Elena Maria

Infanta Elena Maria, Isabel, Dominica de Silos de Borbon y Grecia - eldest daughter King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. She was born on December 20, 1963 in Madrid.

She received her secondary education at the Santa Maria del Camino School. She then studied at ESCUNI University College, where she graduated as a teacher in 1986 primary classes with a specialization in English. For some time Elena-Maria worked as a teacher in English at the Santa Maria del Camino school. She then continued her education, studying sociology and pedagogy at the University of Exeter in the UK. In 1993 she received a degree in education from the Comillas University in Madrid.

Infanta Elena Maria is active social life, being a representative of the royal court. She is also honorary president of the Spanish Pediatric Society and the Spanish AIDS Foundation.

Infanta Cristina

Infanta Cristina, Federica de Borbon y Grecia, youngest daughter King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofia, born June 13, 1965 in Madrid.

She began her education at the Santa Maria del Camino school. From 1984 to 1989, Christina studied political science at the Complutense University of Madrid. In 1990 she received a master's degree in international relations at New York University. Then she completed UNESCO short courses in Paris.

She currently works closely with the Caixa Foundation in Barcelona, the city where she lives. Infanta Cristina also leads an active social life, being a representative of the royal court. She is the honorary chairman of the Spanish UNESCO Committee, the Infanta Cristina Foundation for the Disabled, and is also personally involved in swimming courses for the disabled.

Princess Letizia

The wedding of 37-year-old Prince Felipe and 32-year-old television journalist Leticia Ortiz took place in May 2004.

On October 31, 2005, the future Queen of Spain, Princess Letizia, gave birth to a girl in a Madrid clinic. This is the first child of Prince Felipe of Bourbon of Asturias and Princess Letizia. The girl was named Leonor. Leonor is the seventh among the grandchildren of King Juan Carlos I of Spain. She is second in line to the throne after her father. However, if in the future Felipe and Leticia have a boy, then, according to the constitution, he will bypass his sister in the line of inheritance. But this may not happen if the corresponding law on succession to the throne, which is currently being prepared, is adopted.

The Royal House of Romania is related to many of the royal families of Europe, including the royal families of Spain and Greece. The ruling royal family of Spain belongs to the Spanish Bourbons. As you know, King Michael's wife, Queen Anne, was from a younger branch of the Spanish Bourbons - the Bourbons of Parma, who are currently the ruling dynasty of Luxembourg. Queen Anne was a relative of King Juan Carlos, and King Mihai was the cousin of Queen Sofia, wife of King Juan Carlos. Her Majesty Margareta, Guardian of the Crown and King Felipe VI are second cousins.

The Royal Family Romania with the Bourbon-Parma family. The photo was taken in 1970 near Copenhagen, in honor of the 75th birthday of Princess Margrethe of Denmark, mother of Queen Anne of Romania.
Standing, from left to right: Anna of Romania, her brother, Michel of Bourbon-Parma, Eric, Michel's son;
Lorraine, daughter of Jacques of Bourbon-Parma and Brigitte Holstein Ledreborg, Princess Irene of Romania, Philip of Bourbon-Parma and his mother Brigitte Holstein Ledreborg, King Michael, Inès (Ines) of Bourbon-Parma, daughter of Michel of Bourbon-Parma.

Seated, from left to right: Alain of Bourbon-Parma, son of Jacques and Brigitte, Sibylle and Victoire of Bourbon-Parma, daughters of Michel, Margrita of Denmark, widow of Prince Rainier of Bourbon-Parma and maia of Queen Anne of Romania, Princesses Marie and Sophia of Romania.

On October 2, Queen Sofia of Spain, mother of the reigning King of Spain, Felipe VI, turned 80 years old. I would like to wish Her Majesty good health! And in this regard, today I want to devote Special attention warm relations between King Michael and Queen Sofia. They really valued their family ties and there were good friends. According to Queen Sofia, "King Michael was her most beloved cousin." And it was mutual.

Father future queen Spain, King Paul of Greece, was the brother of King Michael's mother, Queen Mother Helen, born Princess of Greece and Denmark. King Mihai had a very good relationship with his uncle on his mother’s side. a good relationship. In 1948, it was Queen Sofia's father who organized the wedding of King Michael and Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma in Athens. Queen Sofia carried the train of the bride of the Romanian monarch and she was 10 years old.

Prince Paul of Greece with King Michael and Prince Philip (Duke of Edinburgh) in Mamaia (Romania)

On May 14, 1962, King Michael and Queen Anne were invited to the wedding of Princess Sofia to Prince Juan Carlos, son of Count Juan of Barcelona and heir to the throne of Spain.

King Michael's fourth daughter is named after Queen Sofia, who became her godmother.

Official photo from the christening of Princess Sofia, Tatoi Palace, Athens (Greece)

King Michael with his daughters, princesses Elena, Irina and Sofia (in the arms of their father)

Princess Sofia (in green) with her sister, Princess Helena.

In 1964, King Michael, Queen Mother Helena and Queen Anne attended the funeral of Queen Sofia's father, King Paul, in Athens. King Michael was wearing the uniform of a Royal Air Marshal that day. Air Force Greece, higher military rank in the Greek Armed Forces - stratarch (four-star rank). It is worth noting that King Mihai was the Marshal of Romania.

Queen Sofia with her daughter, Infanta Elena and her husband, Jaime de Marichalar, attended the wedding of King Michael's daughter, Princess Margaretha, which took place on September 21, 1996 in Lausanne (Switzerland).

King Michael with Queen Sofia and her sister, Princess Irene of Greece.

King Mihai, with Crown Princess Margareta and Prince Radu, attended the wedding of Prince Felipe and Doña Letizia Ortiz, which took place on May 22, 2004 in cathedral Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena in Madrid.

I only found a photo with King Michael:

“Despite the fact that we rarely see each other, we are connected not only by a close degree of kinship, but also by historical destiny. Queen Sofia knows what exile is ...,” King Michael said in an interview in 2011. I note that during the Second World War, the Greek royal family was in exile; Sofia spent her childhood in Egypt and South Africa. In 1946, she returned to Greece with her parents.

After 1989, King Michael and Queen Anne visited Spain many times and were guests of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2010). In 2009, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, in their capacity as Prince and Princess of Asturias, also visited Romania. Her Majesty Margareta and Prince Radu made official visits to Spain and were guests of the Royal Family in 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2018.

King Juan Carlos said this about King Mihai: “To talk about King Mihai means... to talk about a constant witness to the past of Europe, a living personality European history. With a clear political vision, he decided to save Romania from a fatal fate... Between 1944 and 1947, this represented the hope for a democratic future for Romania. In exile, Mihai of Romania denied any legal validity to his abdication. Since then, he has always been a symbol of hope for the return of democracy to the country. Millions of Romanians continued to see it as a distant but only living reference point that did not allow them to forget their past and encouraged them to dream of future freedom and a return to the best European traditions of democracy."

In 2008, Queen Sofia was invited to Bucharest to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the wedding of King Michael and Queen Anne.

In 2011, Queen Sofia was the guest of honor at King Michael's 90th birthday.

In December 2017, Queen Sofia and her husband, King Juan Carlos, arrived in Bucharest to celebrate last way his friend, the last king of the Romanians, Mihai I.

Queen Sofia, Queen Anna Maria of the Hellenes together with Guardian of the Crown Margareta at the 80th birthday of the Tsar of the Bulgarians Simeon, June 2017:

Prince Radu, Crown Princess Margareta with King Juan Carlos at the 70th birthday of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, April 2016:

With Crown Princess Mary of Denmark:

Meeting of the Romanian royal couple with the reigning monarchs of Spain, as well as with Their Majesties King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, 2017, Madrid (Zarzuela Palace).

A few additional historical facts:

1) diplomatic relations between Romania and Spain were established on June 23, 1881, during the reigns of King Carol I of Romania and King Alfonso XII of Spain. On April 4, 1946, the government of Petru Groza severed diplomatic relations with Spain, and restored only on January 21, 1977.

2) the ruler of the United Principality of Wallachia and Moldavia, Carol I, in 1869 renounced the throne of Spain, which became “vacant” as a result of the coup d’etat that took place in Spain in 1868 and led to the removal of Queen Isabella II from power. Carol I's biographer, Lyn Linberg, notes that the Spanish emissary made it clear to the prince how much they were inspired by what he was doing for the state of which he became head. The Spanish people and government took note of this "because they saw him in the most difficult, courageous and confident actions when going to Romania, and were amazed at how much benefit he brings to the state." Carol's answer was that "he would never exchange the humble hat of a prince for the brilliant crown of Spain, and that he was filled with a sense of duty and affection for the mission he had already accepted."

3) Carlos, Duke of Madrid, Carlist pretender to the throne of Spain and legitimate claimant to the French throne, was present as an observer during the military operations of the Romanian army in the War of Independence of 1877-1878, being an admirer of the Romanian soldiers.

He was married to Margaret of Bourbon-Parma, a representative of the Bourbon dynasty of Parma. The Duke was friends with the ruler of the United Principality of Wallachia and Moldavia, Prince Carol. True, their friendly relations were weakened after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Romania and Spain. It is quite possible that because of King Alfonso XII, since Carol, being the head of the young independent state, seeking to establish relations with Spain in accordance with his new international status, could not show his friendship with the rival of King Alfonso XII."

Prince Carol at the front in Plevna

The Battle of Plevna (Bulgaria, August 30 - November 28, 1877) was the decisive confrontation between the Romanian-Russian and Turkish armies, as a result of which Romania declared its independence.

4) in February 1880, the Spanish Senate adopted a resolution recognizing the independence of the state from the northern part of the Danube, and on April 12, 1880, Spain recognized the state independence of Romania.

On March 14, 1881, Romania was proclaimed a kingdom and Carol was crowned the first king of Romania.

The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Romania was adopted in 1872.

5) the sister of Queen Mary of Romania, Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg Gotha (1884-1966) married Infante Alfonso of Orléans and Borbon (1886-1975) in 1909. The couple attended the coronation of the monarchs of Greater Romania, Ferdinand I and Maria, in Alba Iulia, October 15, 1922.

6) King Carol I of Romania baptized the third son of King Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886-1931), Infante Juan, who was the father of King Jaun Carlos I of Spain. After the death of his father in 1941, Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, became a contender for the throne of Spain (his brother, Alfonso, died in 1938, and his brother Jaime abdicated the throne in 1933). Historian Guy Gautier believes that Count Juan of Barcelona named his first son Juan Carlos after his godfather, King Carol I, rather than
Charles V of Habsburg, King of Spain (Castile and Aragon), who reigned under the name Carlos I.

King Juan Carlos with his parents

7) King Alfonso XIII of Spain was the godfather of Archduke Stefan of Austria, the first son of the Romanian Princess Ilana and Archduke Anton of Austria. Archduke Anton was Archduke of Austria, royal prince Hungary and Bohemia, Prince of Tuscany. He was the seventh of ten children born to Archduke Leopold Salvator of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Infanta Blanca of Spain, daughter of Carlos, Duke of Madrid.

8) in the 1990s, against the backdrop of the democratic processes that took place in Spain in connection with the restoration of the monarchy, there were discussions about the possible application of the Spanish model in Romania. In December 1989, King Juan Carlos, who ascended the throne of Spain through non-violent means after the death of dictator Franco, confirmed in an interview published in December 1989 that his country could serve as an example for eastern countries."

King Mihai himself assessed the possibility of applying the Spanish model in Romania: “...If the Romanian people asked me, I would like the same changes to take place in Romania that were achieved in Spain by King Juan Carlos. The model of a constitutional Spanish monarchy is tempting . She would definitely go to Romania...". Apparently it wasn't destined...

Hola! reports that Don Francisco de Paula Joaquin de Bourbon y Hardenberg (b. 1979) became engaged to Kasya al-Thani (b. 1976), the former third wife of Sheikh Abdel-Aziz bin Khalifa Al-Thani, to whom she bore three daughters.

Don Francisco (Olivia de Bourbon's brother) - The only son and heir to the 5th Duke of Seville, a descendant of the Spanish Bourbons in the morganatic line. He is the 50th Grand Master of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem:

The bride is from Los Angeles and appears to be of Polish descent.

Here is a photo from the wedding of Don Francisco's parents:

His mother is the daughter of Count Hardenberg and Princess of Fürstenberg. And dad was the 48th grandmaster.

Here's the traditional scheme:

On the way, I read about the sad life of the groom's great-great-grandfather, Francisco de Paula (1853-1942). Well, okay, the father was the grandson of the king and an infante, but he married without permission. But when a father is killed in a duel, it affects the psyche. Then he went to prison for another couple of months for trying to claim the French crown. In his old age, there was a revolution in his native Spain, but he was able to stay, because he did not belong to a dynasty. And in vain I stayed. He himself survived. But:

daughter Elena Maria de los Dolores Luisa Francisca de la Caridad Sofia de Borb"on (Havana 18 Sep 1878-assassinated at Madrid 24 Sep 1936)
grandson of Jos"e Lu"is Francisco Narciso de Borb"on (Madrid 18 Jul 1910-assassinated at Gerona 29 Aug 1936)
son Enrique Maria Francisco de Paula de Borb"on Marques de Balboa (Madrid 6 Jul 1891-assassinated at Aravaca 29 Oct 1936)
son of Alfonso Maria Francisco Martin Felix Joaquin Rafael Miguel de Borb"on Marques de Squilache (Madrid 24 Oct 1893-assassinated at Aravaca 29 Oct 1936)
granddaughter of Mar"ia Luisa Gonz"alez-Conde y de Borbon (1912-1936)
--fueron fusilados por el bando republicano. But again, let's not talk about politics.

Royal family of Romania with the Bourbon-Parma family. The photo was taken in 1970 near Copenhagen, in honor of the 75th birthday of Princess Margrethe of Denmark, mother of Queen Anne of Romania.
Standing, from left to right: Anna of Romania, her brother, Michel of Bourbon-Parma, Eric, Michel's son;
Lorraine, daughter of Jacques of Bourbon-Parma and Brigitte Holstein Ledreborg, Princess Irene of Romania, Philip of Bourbon-Parma and his mother Brigitte Holstein Ledreborg, King Michael, In'es (Ines) of Bourbon-Parma, daughter of Michel of Bourbon-Parma.

The father of the future Queen of Spain, King Paul of Greece, was the brother of King Michael's mother, Queen Mother Helena, born Princess of Greece and Denmark. King Mihai had a very good relationship with his uncle on his mother’s side. In 1948, it was Queen Sofia's father who organized the wedding of King Michael and Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma in Athens. Queen Sofia carried the train of the bride of the Romanian monarch and she was 10 years old.

Prince Paul of Greece with King Michael and Prince Philip (Duke of Edinburgh) in Mamaia (Romania)

On May 14, 1962, King Michael and Queen Anne were invited to the wedding of Princess Sofia to Prince Juan Carlos, son of Count Juan of Barcelona and heir to the throne of Spain.

King Michael's fourth daughter is named after Queen Sofia, who became her godmother.

Official photo from the christening of Princess Sofia, Tatoi Palace, Athens (Greece)

King Michael with his daughters, princesses Elena, Irina and Sofia (in the arms of their father)

Princess Sofia (in green) with her sister, Princess Helena.

In 1964, King Michael, Queen Mother Helena and Queen Anne attended the funeral of Queen Sofia's father, King Paul, in Athens. King Michael that day was dressed in the uniform of an air marshal of the Royal Hellenic Air Force, the highest military rank in the Hellenic Armed Forces - stratarch (four-star rank). It is worth noting that King Mihai was the Marshal of Romania.

King Michael with Queen Sofia and her sister, Princess Irina of Greece.

King Mihai, with Crown Princess Margareta and Prince Radu, attended the wedding of Prince Felipe and Dona Letizia Ortiz, which took place on May 22, 2004 at the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena in Madrid.

I only found a photo with King Michael:

King Juan Carlos said this about King Mihai: “To talk about King Mihai means... to talk about a constant witness of Europe's past, a living personality of European history. With a clear political vision, he decided to save Romania from a fatal fate... Between 1944 and 1947 year it represented hope for a democratic future for Romania. In exile, Mihai of Romania denied any legal validity to his abdication. Since then, he has always been a symbol of hope for the return of democracy to the country. Millions of Romanians continued to see him as a distant but only living control point , which did not allow them to forget their past and encouraged them to dream of future freedom and a return to the best European traditions of democracy."

In 2008, Queen Sofia was invited to Bucharest to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the wedding of King Michael and Queen Anne.

In 2011, Queen Sofia was the guest of honor at King Michael's 90th birthday.

In December 2017, Queen Sofia and her husband, King Juan Carlos, arrived in Bucharest to see off their friend, the last king of the Romanians, Michael I, on their last journey.

Queen Sofia, Queen Anna Maria of the Hellenes together with Guardian of the Crown Margareta at the 80th birthday of the Tsar of the Bulgarians Simeon, June 2017:

Prince Radu, Crown Princess Margareta with King Juan Carlos at the 70th birthday of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, April 2016:

With Crown Princess Mary of Denmark:

Meeting of the Romanian royal couple with the reigning monarchs of Spain, as well as with Their Majesties King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, 2017, Madrid (Zarzuela Palace).

A few additional historical facts:

He was married to Margaret of Bourbon-Parma, a representative of the Bourbon dynasty of Parma. The Duke was friends with the ruler of the United Principality of Wallachia and Moldavia, Prince Carol. True, their friendly relations were weakened after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Romania and Spain. It is quite possible that because of King Alfonso XII, since Carol, being the head of a young independent state seeking to establish relations with Spain in accordance with his new international status, could not show his friendship with the rival of King Alfonso XII."

Prince Carol at the front in Plevna

The Battle of Plevna (Bulgaria, August 30 - November 28, 1877) was the decisive confrontation between the Romanian-Russian and Turkish armies, as a result of which Romania declared its independence.

On March 14, 1881, Romania was proclaimed a kingdom and Carol was crowned the first king of Romania.

The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Romania was adopted in 1872.

7) King Alfonso XIII of Spain was the godfather of Archduke Stefan of Austria, the first son of the Romanian Princess Ilana and Archduke Anton of Austria. Archduke Anton was Archduke of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Prince of Tuscany. He was the seventh of ten children born to Archduke Leopold Salvator of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Infanta Blanca of Spain, daughter of Carlos, Duke of Madrid.

Journalists call King Philip VI of Spain a monarch without flaw. Olympic athlete, military helicopter pilot, exemplary father and family man, holder of three diplomas higher education V various areas.

In Spain, Don Felipe, as the Spaniards call him, is respected even by the separatists. Where does the ideal King of Spain, Philip VI, live, and what does his house look like in the photo?

Official residence

The life of royalty is very different from everyday life ordinary people, but in one thing it is similar: kings, like everyone else, rarely work where they live. Philip VI is no exception. He, like his father Juan Carlos I before him, prefers to live with his family not in an official residence.

The Royal Palace in Madrid (Spanish: Palacio Real de Madrid) or the Eastern Palace (Palacio de Oriente) is located in the western part of the capital of Spain and is considered one of the main city attractions.

Once upon a time, Spanish kings actually lived in it, but modern monarchs prefer to use it only for official ceremonies.

Official photos Palacio Real de Madrid.

It is possible that amid the oppressive luxury of the official residence of the Spanish kings, the current monarch feels uncomfortable.

For example, this is what the main dining room looks like in the palace.

The Royal Palace is surrounded by the Moorish Field and a park with the Sabatini Gardens.

Currently, the building has actually been turned into a museum: various works of art are exhibited here: sculpture, furniture, carpets, etc. The decoration of the palace took several centuries, so there is a lot to see there. There are many photos and videos of the Royal Palace in Madrid on the Internet.

The interiors of the palace are considered one of the most luxurious in Europe.

Zarzuela Palace

For Everyday life His Royal Highness Don Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia (this is exactly what his title sounds like in full) prefers less pompous housing: the royal Zarzuela Palace (Palacio de la Zarzuela).

The Zarzuela residence is located in the northwestern suburbs of Madrid and is closed to the public as a museum.

This is the private territory of the Spanish kings, which stands on Monte el Pardo. Palacio de la Zarzuela was built in the 17th century as a royal hunting lodge.

Currently, Philip VI and his family live here. Philip's family consists of his wife Queen Letizia, née Ortiz Rocasolano, and two children: Infanta Leonor (born in 2005) and Infanta Sofia (born in 2007). Leonor in this moment is the heir to the Spanish throne.

The name Palacio de la Zarzuela most likely refers to the abundance of blackberries (zarza in Spanish) in the area. The palazzo was designed by architect Juan Gomez de More. The fountains, terraces and arboretum were designed by Alonso Carbonell.

The Zarzuela residence was heavily damaged during civil war. In 1958, the building had to be virtually rebuilt. In the 1990s, two new wings were added to the main building. One contains the private rooms of members of the royal family, the other contains offices and security premises.

On the ground floor of the palace there is a living room, a kitchen and a storage room.

On the second floor there are the king's rooms, his library, guest rooms and rooms for staff. On the third floor there are additional bedrooms and offices.