Inherited jewels and an $8 million wedding dress? The Spanish Royal Family lives a lavish life.
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00:00Inherited jewels and an $8 million wedding dress, the Spanish royal family lives a lavish life.
00:07King Felipe VI was crowned the King of Spain on June 19,
00:112014, after his father, King Juan Carlos, abdicated the throne. The latter's abdication
00:16was due to controversy and backlash, which we'll get into a little later.
00:20Felipe obviously grew up as a prince, but Queen Letizia actually is a commoner.
00:25Much like Princess Catherine, Letizia grew up middle class. She had a very successful career
00:30as a journalist in Spain before being set up on a date with Felipe by a friend. Not only was
00:35Letizia a commoner, but she also had been married before — another parallel to the British royals
00:40and Meghan Markle. Still, love prevailed, and Felipe and Letizia married in May 2004,
00:46becoming king and queen 10 years after that.
00:48The king and queen have two daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia. The latter is referred
00:54to as an infanta instead of princess because she will not inherit the throne.
00:58An eventful day for two little girls, 7-year-old Sofia and 8-year-old Leonor,
01:03who's now the youngest heir to the throne in Europe.
01:07While the Bourbon dynasty has been ruling since the 1700s, Spain has practically had
01:11a monarchy since the fall of the Roman Empire. But for the sake of our purposes, let us fast
01:16forward to Charles I becoming the first of the Habsburg dynasty to rule Spain.
01:21When the family line was left without an heir upon the death of Charles II in 1700,
01:26the line of succession was left hanging, which led to a war. The War of the Spanish Succession
01:31lasted from 1701 to 1714 between the Bourbons and the Habsburgs, who both had claims to the throne.
01:38Neither party seemed to have that much validity, but we all have seen Game of Thrones,
01:42so we know that this doesn't always mean much. The Bourbons were eventually victorious,
01:46and aside from a period following the Spanish Civil War,
01:49they have been the ruling family of Spain ever since. Spain became a constitutional monarchy
01:54in 1978, with the majority of governmental powers being given to Parliament — yet
01:58another parallel to the British monarchy.
02:01As we've mentioned, King Felipe's father, Juan Carlos, abdicated due to multiple controversies.
02:07But the scandal that put the nail in the coffin was an elephant hunting trip in Botswana during
02:11a time of financial turmoil in Spain. As The Guardian reports, even though Juan Carlos left
02:16office, his corrupt legacy continued after it came out that he had been given $100 million
02:22from Saudi Arabia, which was being kept in an offshore account. This revelation caused King
02:27Felipe to strip his father's yearly pension, and it led Juan Carlos to go into exile,
02:32distancing himself from the Spanish royal family both literally and figuratively.
02:36Although Juan Carlos left, his scandals have caused a direct impact on the new king.
02:41The Spanish government passed a law in 2022 that the monarchy was to publish
02:44its finances every quarter. This type of legislation isn't out of the ordinary,
02:49as both the UK and Belgium have similar laws for their royal families.
02:52Upon the release of his financials, which totaled $2.8 million for 2022,
02:58King Felipe issued a statement on Casa Real, saying,
03:01Today, more than ever, citizens rightly demand that moral and ethical principles inspire
03:06and exemplary preside over our public life. And the king, at the head of the state,
03:11has to be not only a benchmark but also a servant of that just and legitimate demand
03:16of all citizens. This statement made it clear that King Felipe is ready for a new era in the
03:21Bourbon dynasty. One thing that's important to note about King Felipe VI's wealth is that it
03:26is not all in liquid cash, but rather spread out between antiques and luxury items like jewelry.
03:32And, of course, there is his yearly salary. As of this video, Felipe will have an annual salary of
03:37about €269,000, which equals about $296,000, according to The Local. In comparison, the
03:44president of the United States makes $400,000 a year, plus an additional $50,000 in expenses.
03:51Queen Letizia also makes an income. In 2023, she will be making around €148,000,
03:57which equals roughly $162,000. The former queen and wife to exiled Juan Carlos,
04:02Sofia, is still on the payroll despite her husband's pension being taken away.
04:06Sofia will be making around €121,000, or about $133,000 annually.
04:13King Felipe's sisters, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina, are not on the payroll despite their
04:18public positions. This is a contrast to the monarchy in England, which does have salaries
04:23for its extended members. Queen Letizia's wedding dress cost $8 million, making it one of the most
04:30expensive wedding dresses of all time. It was designed by Spanish fashion designer Manuel
04:35Pertigas. Before he died, he dressed many incredibly famous fashion icons,
04:39such as Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, and Ava Gardner. He was even tapped to be
04:43Christian Dior's successor at one point, though he turned the gig down.
04:47Letizia's dress featured long sleeves and a high collar as well as floral gold embroidery,
04:52giving it a very vintage and regal feel. And considering the price, the embroidery may
04:57actually be real gold. The tiara, which was also worn by Queen Sofia at her wedding,
05:02matched the long train and veil. It made Letizia look like,
05:05well, a princess, which she was moments away from becoming.
05:09The wedding took place at the Santa Maria La Real de la Almudena Cathedral and cost
05:14approximately $25 million, according to BBC Mundo.
05:19As Tatler reports, the queen was recently spotted in a Carolina Herrera cream blouse
05:23that could retail for more than $1,000, and a pink floor-length skirt made custom for her.
05:29Letizia paired this ensemble with two earrings, and that's just barely
05:33scratching the surface of her closet. Letizia has stepped to the forefront as a true fashion icon.
05:39One of the things we love the most about her style choices is that she mixes some
05:42high fashion designers with lower-priced brands like Zara, making her looks feel
05:46more attainable and more relatable. And Letizia has been spotted in Zara on multiple occasions,
05:51per The Zoe Report.
05:53We can't talk about the queen's clothes without talking about the queen's massive jewelry
05:57collection. The crown jewels, to be exact, are estimated to be worth over $50 million.
06:03Marrying into a royal family sure does have its perks — and by perks,
06:07we are talking about literal diamonds. After all, they are a girl's best friend.
06:11Several pieces comprise the collection that translates to
06:14jewels that are passed down, worn by generations of queens.
06:17The most expensive piece in the collection is a matching diamond
06:20calet necklace and bracelet, estimated to be worth over $25 million.
06:25According to Hello!, they were a gift from King Alfonso XIII to Victoria of Spain.
06:30Another gift from Alfonso to his wife is the most famous of the Spanish tiaras,
06:34the Fleur de Lis, which is fashioned after the Bourbon family crest.
06:38This tiara is estimated to be worth about $13 million.
06:42Letizia is often spotted wearing the collection's diamond cluster earrings worth $7.8 million.
06:48Our personal favorite is her more modern emerald necklace and earring set. The value of these
06:52pieces was a bit more elusive, but at the end of the day, all of the crown jewels are priceless.
06:58Much like royal families around the world, the Spanish royals are not without their palaces.
07:03Their residence is Sarzuela Palace on Monte de El Pardo outside of Madrid,
07:08though King Felipe and his family use the nearby Prince's Pavilion as their private home.
07:12Sarzuela Palace has been the residence of the Spanish royals since 1975,
07:17though it was first built in the 1600s as a country palace.
07:20The palace was damaged in the Spanish Civil War and required significant repairs.
07:25Tourists are welcome to visit Palacio Real de Madrid, the Royal Palace of Madrid. It is the
07:30official seat of the monarchy, and it used to be the main residence for the Spanish royals,
07:35but it's now only used for state visits and ceremonies.
07:38According to Patrimonio Nacional, the palace itself has over 3,000 rooms,
07:42including the famous throne room with a ceiling painted by the renowned
07:46Giambattista Tiepolo, as well as exhibits with vintage goods and musical instruments.
07:51We also know that the royal family has residences in Mallorca,
07:54most notably Marivent Palace, as the current ruling family vacations there every year.
08:00Princess Leonor is a student at UWC Atlantic College in Wales,
08:04and Infanta Sofia will join her sister there in the fall. Despite the word college,
08:09UWC is actually a boarding school for students ages 16 to 19 who are looking to pursue an
08:14international baccalaureate diploma in a more progressive environment. According to its website,
08:19UWC Atlantic has this mission,
08:22"...to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable
08:27future."
08:28And they are indeed bringing nations together in the classroom, as Princess Alexia of the
08:32Netherlands is one of Leonor's classmates. It's no surprise that this boarding school does not
08:36come cheap. Two years of tuition is estimated to be between $95,000 and $110,000 per the college's
08:43website, and that's multiplied by two now that Sofia will be there.
08:48While you may not have heard about King Felipe VI's niece, Victoria de Marichalar y Borbón,
08:54her 235,000 followers on Instagram sure have. In addition to being royalty,
08:59Victoria is also an influencer. Much like other influencers,
09:03Victoria seemingly lives a lavish life, going to events, getting lots of free stuff,
09:07and even sitting front row at multiple shows during Paris Fashion Week.
09:11The only difference compared to other influencers is, well, she's royalty.
09:15The Spanish throne follows male preference primogeniture,
09:18meaning sons inherit regardless of birth order. So, if the Spanish laws were different and
09:22Victoria's mother had inherited the throne, then Victoria would technically be a princess,
09:27putting her in line to be queen.
09:32"...Me? A princess? Shut up!"
09:37Unlike the other royals, Victoria posts her life on Instagram for us to see,
09:41and we are oh-so-thankful she does. We get to come along as she goes on exotic trips and fancy
09:47parties. Victoria is even starting to make a name for herself in the U.S.,
09:50walking the red carpet at the Elle Style Awards in 2021.