Infanta Elena to Marry Jaime de Marichalar: November 26, 1994

[Anna_R]

November 26th, 1994

From Corbis

 

[Anna_R]

Still from Corbis

 

[Anna_R]

More Pictures, this time from APL

 

[Anna_R]

APL's 2nd Batch

 

[Anna_R]

APL's 3rd Batch

 

[Elsa M.]

Pitty that we are not used to see Jaime smiling more often. He seemed such a friendly guy on these photos...

 

[TLLK]

Does anyone know how this couple met?

 

[lacornemuse]

Sad. They seemed so happy back then.

 

[An Ard Ri]

20 Years ago the engagement of HRH The Infanta Elena of Spain and Don Jaime de Marichalar was announced.

La infanta Elena y Jaime de Marichalar, 20 años del compromiso que cambió Zarzuela - Noticias de Casas Reales

 

[muriel]

Does anyone know how this couple met?

According to Wiki, they met whilst studying French literature in Paris.

 

[Blog Real]

Photos of the engagement announcement:
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTmNVXo9...UQFYahJDFLuViXhMEywCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/0009.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pY-1bkY...sWBNaeEBugp0ozFACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/0013.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_8GwFKn8...Q/s16000/89300299223b87456d0d9aa74510cddc.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dLRabJUZ...Q/s16000/b5b524a5aaaf93bdb18fc3b876ddf3ea.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rgwANdhs...w640-h424/gettyimages-966188454-1024x1024.jpg

 

[An Ard Ri]

Photos of the engagement announcement:



https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dLRabJUZ...Q/s16000/b5b524a5aaaf93bdb18fc3b876ddf3ea.jpg

Wonderful photo of the couple with Don Jaime's late mother the Countess of Ripalda.

 

[Mbruno]

Wonderful photo of the couple with Don Jaime's late mother the Countess of Ripalda.

D. Jaime's elder brother, D. Amalio Joaquín de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada, succeeded his father in 1979 as the 9th Count of Ripalda, see the bottom of the right-hand column in the PDF file linked below:


https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/1979/11/21/pdfs/A26888-26888.pdf

 

[Tatiana Maria]

D. Jaime's elder brother, D. Amalio Joaquín de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada, succeeded his father in 1979 as the 9th Count of Ripalda, see the bottom of the right-hand column in the PDF file linked below:


https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/1979/11/21/pdfs/A26888-26888.pdf

It is interesting that two of the three of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía's children intermarried with the aristocracy, with Don Jaime being a son of a count and Don Iñaki being the son of a Belgian noblewoman. I believe Belgium was the only other European kingdom where that was the case for the senior royals of their generation.

 

[Mbruno]

It is interesting that two of the three of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía's children intermarried with the aristocracy, with Don Jaime being a son of a count and Don Iñaki being the son of a Belgian noblewoman. I believe Belgium was the only other European kingdom where that was the case for the senior royals of their generation.

That is not so surprising. In previous generations, members of the Spanish royal family usually only married other royals. So marrying younger sons of noblemen was actually "climbing down" quite a lot so to speak. But, then, D. Felipe as Prince of Asturias married a commoner who worked as a journalist and whose grandfather was a taxi driver, so who knows what the future holds?

 

[An Ard Ri]

It is interesting that two of the three of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía's children intermarried with the aristocracy, with Don Jaime being a son of a count and Don Iñaki being the son of a Belgian noblewoman. I believe Belgium was the only other European kingdom where that was the case for the senior royals of their generation.

And also King Juan Carlos's elder sister married the Spanish Viscount de la Torre.

I believe that Don Jaime and Infanta Elena knew each other since the late 80's.

 

[Mbruno]

And also King Juan Carlos's elder sister married the Spanish Viscount de la Torre.

I believe that Don Jaime and Infanta Elena knew each other since the late 80's.

And, before that,


1. Sisters of Alfonso XIII

• María de Las Mercedes, Princess of Asturias married Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
• Infanta María Teresa married Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria.

2. Sisters of Alfonso XII

• Infanta Isabel married Prince Gaetan, Count of Girgenti.
• Infanta María del Pilar never married. but was intended to marry the son of emperor Napoleon III. who was nonetheless killed in war.
• Infanta María de la Paz married Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria.
• Infanta Eulalia married Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera.

 

[An Ard Ri]

And, before that,


1. Sisters of Alfonso XIII

• María de Las Mercedes, Princess of Asturias married Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
• Infanta María Teresa married Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria.

2. Sisters of Alfonso XII

• Infanta Isabel married Prince Gaetan, Count of Girgenti.
• Infanta María del Pilar never married. but was intended to marry the son of emperor Napoleon III. who was nonetheless killed in war.
• Infanta María de la Paz married Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria.
• Infanta Eulalia married Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera.

Daughters of Alfonso XIII

The Infanta Beatriz of Spain married Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince of Civitella-Cesi

The Infanta Maria Cristina married The Count Marone

 

[Biri]

And also King Juan Carlos's elder sister married the Spanish Viscount de la Torre.

But his younger sister married a commoner.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

That is not so surprising. In previous generations, members of the Spanish royal family usually only married other royals. So marrying younger sons of noblemen was actually "climbing down" quite a lot so to speak. But, then, D. Felipe as Prince of Asturias married a commoner who worked as a journalist and whose grandfather was a taxi driver, so who knows what the future holds?

True, although the majority of senior royals in King Juan Carlos' and his parents' generation did at least marry non-royals. Of course, an important distinction is that those marriages were treated as unequal and therefore morganatic.

The Infanta Maria Cristina married The Count Marone

I believe her husband was a commoner. He was created a count only a month before he married the infanta.

 

[Somebody]

True, although the majority of senior royals in King Juan Carlos' and his parents' generation did at least marry non-royals. Of course, an important distinction is that those marriages were treated as unequal and therefore morganatic.

I believe her husband was a commoner. He was created a count only a month before he married the infanta.

A 'solution' that was also used by Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, when making his eldest son's fiancée 'Countess of Molina'.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

A 'solution' that was also used by Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, when making his eldest son's fiancée 'Countess of Molina'.

It makes sense if it was done to raise the former King of Spain's future son-in-law to a station more suited to the spouse of an Infanta. Although unlike Carlos Hugo's daughter-in-law, the marriage remained morganatic and Enrico and his children were not considered Royal Highnesses or members of the line of succession.

 

[An Ard Ri]

I believe her husband was a commoner. He was created a count only a month before he married the infanta.

Yes he was ennobled by the king on the 13th of May 1940 the wedding took place on the 10th of June 1940.

 

[Stefan]

It is interesting that two of the three of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía's children intermarried with the aristocracy, with Don Jaime being a son of a count and Don Iñaki being the son of a Belgian noblewoman. I believe Belgium was the only other European kingdom where that was the case for the senior royals of their generation.

Is the mother on Inaki relyy a belgian noble. As far as i remember from the Wedding it was onlysaid that she was beglian.

 

[Mbruno]

Is the mother on Inaki relyy a belgian noble. As far as i remember from the Wedding it was onlysaid that she was beglian.

Wikipedia's list of Belgian noble families includes the surname Liebaert among the baronial families (Julien Auguste Marie Joseph, Baron Liebaert, ennobled in 1930). Does Iñaki's mother descend from that family?

 

[An Ard Ri]

Claire Francoise Liebaert Courtain was born in Antwerp in 1935 but I wasn't aware that she was from a Belgian Noble family.

I don't know anything about her Belgian Family.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

During the runup the Inaki/Cristina nuptials back in 1997, I have foggy memories of reading that Inaki's mother was descended from minor Belgian nobility.

I also read that his paternal ancestors include a canonized Saint.

 

[Stefan]

During the runup the Inaki/Cristina nuptials back in 1997, I have foggy memories of reading that Inaki's mother was descended from minor Belgian nobility.

I also read that his paternal ancestors include a canonized Saint.

As far as i remeber at the Coverage of the Wedding it was said that they thought so but there was no evidence found. But i would have to look into my VHS-Tape from the Wedding.
But i remember about the Saint

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Yes...not sure about his mother's ancestry but very clearly remember hearing about the canonized Saint.

I have VHS tapes of the wedding somewhere...will have to dig them up as well!

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Saint is reportedly St Valentín Faustino de Berriochoa a 19th century Basque/Spanish Dominican missionary and martyr who was beheaded in Hai Duong , Vietnam.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentín_de_Berriochoa

Inaki and Cristina's first born son,Don Juan Valentín Urdangarin was given the middle name Valentín in his honour.