Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria

Infanta Margarita
Infanta of Spain; Duchess of Soria, 2nd Duchess of Hernani
The Duchess and Duke of Soria and Hernani
Duchess of Hernani
Tenure	6 January 1979 – Present
Predecessor	Manfredo de Borbón
Heir apparent	Alfonso Juan Carlos Zurita y de Borbón
Born	(1939-03-06) 6 March 1939 Rome, Kingdom of Italy
Spouse	Carlos Zurita (m. 1972)
Issue	Alfonso Zurita y de Borbón María Zurita y de Borbón
Full name Margarita María de la Victoria Esperanza Jacoba Felicidad Perpetua y Todos los Santos (et omnes sancti) de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias
House	Bourbon
Father	Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona
Mother	Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Spanish Royal Family
HM The King HM The Queen HRH The Princess of Asturias HRH Infanta Sofía HM King Juan Carlos I HM Queen Sofía HRH The Duchess of Lugo HE Don Felipe de Marichalar y Borbón HE Doña Victoria de Marichalar y Borbón HRH Infanta Cristina HE Don Iñaki Urdangarin HE Don Juan Urdangarín y de Borbón HE Don Pablo Urdangarín y de Borbón HE Don Miguel Urdangarín y de Borbón HE Doña Irene Urdangarín y de Borbón Extended Royal Family  HRH The Duchess of Badajoz HE Doña Simoneta Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón HE The Viscount de la Torre HE Don Bruno Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón HE Don Luis Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón HE Don Fernando Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón HRH The Duchess of Soria and Hernani HE The Duke of Soria and Hernani HE Don Alfonso Zurita y de Borbón HE Doña María Zurita y de Borbón HRH The Dowager Duchess of Calabria HRH Princess Anne, Duchess of Calabria

|} Infanta Margarita of Spain, Duchess of Soria, 2nd Duchess of Hernani (Margarita María de la Victoria Esperanza Jacoba Felicidad Perpetua y Todos los Santos (et omnes Sancti) de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; born 6 March 1939), is the younger sister of King Juan Carlos I of Spain.

Early life

Infanta Margarita was born in Rome as the younger daughter of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, and Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Margarita has been blind since birth.^[1]

Marriage

She married the physician Carlos Zurita y Delgado on 12 October 1972 in Estoril. They have two children:

• HE Alfonso Juan Carlos Zurita y de Borbón (b. Madrid, 9 August 1973).
• HE María Sofía Emilia Carmen Zurita y de Borbón (b. Madrid, 16 September 1975).

Succession

Margarita renounced her right of succession upon marriage.^[2][3]

On 6 January 1979, the Infanta's cousin, Manfredo de Borbón, 1st Duke of Hernani, died and willed his ducal title to be inherited by Margarita. The King granted this request, and on 27 May 1981, she became 2nd Duchess of Hernani with accompanying dignity Grandee of Spain. The peerage title referres to the town Hernani, Spain. The next month, on 23 June 1981, she was also granted a higher dukedom for life by the king, and became Duchess of Soria (referring to the city Soria in Spain).

Activities

In 1989, alongside her husband, they created the Fundación Cultural Duques de Soria (The Duke and Duchess of Soria Cultural Foundation). She's also Honorary President of Madrid's delegation of UNICEF and of the Spanish Heart Foundation.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles

• 6 March 1939 – 27 May 1981: Her Royal Highness Infanta Margarita of Spain
• 27 May – 23 June 1981: Her Royal Highness Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Hernani
• 23 June 1981 – present: Her Royal Highness Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria and Hernani

The Infanta's style and title in full: Her Royal Highness Doña Margarita María de la Victoria Esperanza Jacoba Felicidad Perpetua de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias de Zurita, Infanta of Spain, Duchess of Soria, Grande de España, Duchess of Hernani, Grande de España.

Honours

See also List of honours of the Spanish Royal Family by country

National honours

•  Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III^[4][5][6]
•  Spain: 1, 192nd Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa^[7]
•  Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise^[8]

Foreign honours

• Greek Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Beneficence^[9]
•  Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry^{[10][11][12][13]}
• Calabrian Royal Family of Two Sicilies: Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Two Sicilian Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George^[14]

Ancestry

References

1. ↑ Doña Margot. La Infanta más marchosa
2. ↑ de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal; Coutant de Saisseval, Guy (2002). Le Petit Gotha. Paris: Laballery. pp. 419–420. ISBN 2-9507974-3-1.  CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
3. ↑ Enache, Nicolas (1999). La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg, Reine de Hongrie et de Boheme. Paris: ICC. pp. 532–534. ISBN 2-908003-04-X. 
4. ↑ (Spanish) Universidad de Valladolid, Nota de Prensa 09-01-30 (accessed on 11 December 2009)
5. ↑ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2385/2311569459_9cdd9cdcae_o.jpg
6. ↑ https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/7a/57/58/7a5758200e7d1086b3d8335193f014cd.jpg
7. ↑ Geneall
8. ↑ (Spanish) Royal Decree 483/2003 The Duchess of Soria and Hernani member of the Spanish Royal Order of Alfonso X. BOE, Spanish Official Journal. (accessed 2 November 2008)
9. ↑ Wedding of Juan Carlos of Spain and Sophia of Greece
10. ↑ https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/e6/9f/64/e69f64c3d5fb5a24a4f7a1e070e392b4.jpg
11. ↑ http://m1.paperblog.com/i/212/2125189/ceguera-monarquia-europea-L-yGkYnj.jpeg
12. ↑ Portugal Archived 4 April 2013 at WebCite
13. ↑ Portugal State visit to Spain
14. ↑ Membership of the Constantinian Order

External links