Titles of the Royal Family


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
C

curious

Guest
All's quiet on the Felipe front. Is he on vacation or something? By the way, I read somewhere that he was an Infante(?) before he was made Crown Prince. I also noticed that his sisters are referred to as Infantas. What exactly is the difference between a prince/princess and and infante/infanta?

Oh and just as an aside, I saw the queen during her visit to Manila this week. She was at this school for streetchildren I was volunteering at. She had this really nice suit on and it was a very hot day but she still managed to look sooo regal and cool. She also seems like a really nice person. I think Felipe looks like her.
 
That's very nice that you were able to see the queen. I would love to have the opportunity of seeing any royal. She always manages to look very well even if she's in disagreeable circumstances, ie: hot weather.

Felipe does indeed look like his mother, but has the build and basic appearance of his father when his father was young.

Here's a picture of Felipe taken yesterday. He's definitely out and about.

Felipe Photo
 
Infante/Infanta is the title for the monarch's children that are not the 1st in succession to the throne. It is the same as Price/Princess in other countries.
Felipe's title is Prince of Asturias, as he is the heir to the throne.
 
meaning of "Infante"

what is the difference between infante and princess? why are elena and christina infantes? and not princesses? Are infantes higher or lower than the title of princess? what is the history behind this title and what does it mean?
 
the word infante is only used in spain to describe the other children of the king and queen of spain that do not inherit the throne. it means "son/daughter of spain". i think it's the same title as prince or princess...
 
Felipe is an infant too

I think that Felipe is to be considered as an Infant too, as son of King... It is not limited to the others children of the royal couple.
Elena
 
elenaris said:
I think that Felipe is to be considered as an Infant too, as son of King... It is not limited to the others children of the royal couple.
Elena

As Felipe is the eldest son and will succeed his father he bears the Prince of Asturias title. But if there had also been a younger son, he, like his sisters would've had the Infante title. In the King's case he had a younger brother (now deceased) who was Infante Alfonse, while their sisters were Infantas Pilar and Margarita (brain block-- is that his dark-haired sister's name?).
 
felipe

elenaris said:
I think that Felipe is to be considered as an Infant too, as son of King... It is not limited to the others children of the royal couple.
Elena

felipe was an infante of Spain until he was created Prince of the Asturias. He is no longer styled as an Infant of Spain
 
Children of the King (apart from the heir, who would be styled Prince of the Asturias, or Princess of the Asturias - yes, a female heir is known as this) are Infants of Spain - and the children of the heir - are Infants of Spain.
 
Yes, Infante means son of the King (Infanta in case of a daughter), whereas the title of Príncipe de Asturias is reserved for the Crown Prince. A person is not entitled to hold both titles.

King Alfonso XIII (1886-1941) had six children born of Queen Victoria Eugenia. The eldest was Príncipe de Asturias and the rest were Infantes or Infantas. Nevertheless, King Alfonso XIII had an extramarital relationship with actress Carmen Ruiz-Moragas. Leandro, one of the children of that relationship, born in the 1920s, has successfully claimed his last name as Borbón (he used his mother´s last name until 2003, when the Spanish Supreme Court acknowledged that he had the right to use Borbón as his last name). After that, don Leandro de Borbón apparently claims that he is an Infante too, because all the recognized children of Spanish monarchs are Infantes.
 
Article 56.2 of the Constitution states that the official title of the King is "King of Spain", although he may also use the other titles of the Crown. Here is the full list of the titles of the King. Some of then refer to territories which don´t belong anymore to the Crown (like the East and West Indies), but the King still holds the titles. The list in Spanish:

Majestad Católica, Rey de Castilla, de León, de Aragón, de Las Dos Sicilias, de Jerusalén, de Navarra, de Granada, de Toledo, de Valencia, de Galicia, de Mallorca, de Menorca, de Sevilla, de Córdoba, de Murcia, de Jaén, de los Algarves, de Algeciras, de Gibraltar, de las Islas Canarias, de las Indias Orientales y Occidentales, de las islas y tierra firme de la mar océana; Archiduque de Austria; Duque de Borgoña, de Brabante, de Milán, de Atenas y de Neopatria; Marqués de Oristan; Conde de Habsburgo, de Flandes, del Tirol, del Rosellón, de Gocéano, de Cerdeña y de Barcelona; Señor de Vizcaya y de Molina.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Felipe and Letizia's Titles

I know that Felipe is Prince of Asturias and Letizia is Princess of Asturias, but do they have any other title? And did Letizia become Princess of Asturias automaticaly when she and Felipe were declared husband and wife, did she have to sign anything, or what?
 
His titles are: Príncipe de Asturias, Príncipe de Girona y Príncipe de Viana, Duque de Montblanc, Conde de Cervera y Señor de Balaguer.

She acquired them all the moment they said "I do.'
 
lucys said:
His titles are: Príncipe de Asturias, Príncipe de Girona y Príncipe de Viana, Duque de Montblanc, Conde de Cervera y Señor de Balaguer.

She acquired them all the moment they said "I do.'
Thanks!! Everywhere I looked they were refered to as the Prince and Princess of Asturias. I know, it would be too long saying or writing all these titles each time...
 
lucys said:
She acquired them all the moment they said "I do.'
Wow, that's a pretty good deal. You get a gorgeous man, a prince to boot, plus titles and riches...Dang...
 
Moonlightrhapsody said:
Wow, that's a pretty good deal. You get a gorgeous man, a prince to boot, plus titles and riches...Dang...
Yes, he IS gorgeous, although I didn't like his beard...
 
tell me more about these titles where do they come from?
and why does he have al of them
 
thank you so much

but what about the other titles besides Prince of Asturias
 
Last edited:
Each crown has some honour titles that are attributed to its crown prince. E.g.: in Castille it was the Príncipe de Asturias, in Aragon it was the Príncipe de Gerona and in Navarre it was the Príncipe de Viana.

So those are the honour titles Felipe inherited from the heirs of Castille, Aragon and Navarre, whose union, in the XVI century, led to the Spanish Monarchy.

Here you have the explanation for the titles of Príncipe de Viana and Príncipe de Gerona:

Príncipe de Viana

Cuentan las crónicas que en el verano de 1440 Carlos de Evreux, primer Príncipe de Viana, visitó la localidad navarra que daba nombre a su título, como heredero del reino de Navarra, concedido dieciocho años antes por su abuelo el rey Carlos III el Noble.

En los 564 años transcurridos desde aquella fecha, la ciudad de Viana, tradicional baluarte defensivo frente a Castilla y última escala navarra del Camino de Santiago, ha pasado por múltiples avatares históricos, su fisonomía ha experimentado transformaciones radicales y el título al que presta nombre ha perdido los territorios y las rentas que tenía asignados en su origen, aunque mantiene su carácter simbólico.

Tras la conquista del reino de Navarra por Fernando el Católico, a principios del siglo XVI, y como consecuencia de la unión dinástica de los territorios españoles en las personas de los Reyes Católicos, el título de Príncipe de Viana –como el de Asturias y otros varios- quedó vinculado al heredero de la Corona de España, que desde entonces –y tras diversas vicisitudes históricas- lo ostenta hasta nuestros días.

Por ello, Felipe de Borbón, Príncipe de Asturias (como sucesor del heredero de la Corona de Castilla), es además Príncipe de Viana (sucesor del heredero del reino de Navarra).


Príncipe de Gerona

Estando el rey don Fernando en el throno, llegóse a él su hijo mayor, el infante don Alfonso (que ya dos años antes había sido jurado por sucesor en los reinos) e vistióle el rei un manto mui rico, e púsole un chapeo en la cabeça, e una vara de oro en la mano e dióle paz en el rostro e título de príncipe de Girona, como antes se llamaba duque porque ya en el vecino reyno de Castilla se avía dado al sucesor el de principe de Asturias.

Con estas palabras nos refiere el cronista de la época el inicio de la ceremonia de investidura del primer príncipe de Gerona (el futuro Alfonso V de Aragón) por parte de su padre (Fernando I de Antequera), en Zaragoza en febrero de 1414, en presencia de los prohombres aragoneses, catalanes, mallorquines y valencianos, amén de representantes de los restantes territorios de la Corona de Aragón (sicilianos, sardos, etc.). Se instituía así el Principado de Gerona, elevando a tal condición el antiguo ducado del mismo nombre. Dos años después, hallándose en la ciudad de Gerona, Fernando I libró el correspondiente diploma a favor de su primogénito.

El ducado de Gerona había sido creado en 1351 por Pedro IV el Ceremonioso que lo había vinculado a los herederos de la corona aragonesa en la persona de su hijo el futuro Juan I, a semejanza de los usos del reino de Francia (donde el primogénito ostentaba el título de duque de Normandía). Se mantuvo vigente hasta 1412, fecha en la que, en el Compromiso de Caspe, fue elegido rey de la Corona de Aragón, Fernando I de Trastamara (o de Antequera), quien dos años después, como se ha dicho anteriormente, lo convirtió en principado.

http://www.dhistoria.com/blog/archivos/cat_espana.html
 
Last edited:
From Wikipedia

The title of Prince of Girona comes from the Crown of Aragon, more precisely when in the year 1351, the king Pere IV of Aragon nominated its successor and conceded him the title of Duke of Girona, which embraced territories of the counties of Girona, Besalú, Empúries and Osona.

On 19 February 1416, the king Ferdinand I of Aragon considered the title of duke was insufficient, and exalted it erecting the Principality of Girona.

Since 21 April 1990, this title corresponds to Felipe, Prince of Asturias, therefore the first Bourbon to hold the title of Prince of Girona, on assuming it, without any official ceremony of investiture. Formerly no other Bourbon had ever held, nor even used this title.
 
Just as an addition, the Spanish Royal Website addresses him as El Principe de Asturias, Don Felipe de Bourbon y Grecia.

I realize that he gets the Grecia from his mother but does this mean that he is also considered a Prince of Greece?
 
Ennyllorac said:
I realize that he gets the Grecia from his mother but does this mean that he is also considered a Prince of Greece?

Yes, I believe so, since Queen Sofía is a Princess of Greece, he and his sisters are therefore considered princes of Greece, just like Alexia, Pavlos, Nikolaos, Theodora and Phillipos are princes of Denmark, title inherited from their mother, Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes that is, as well, Princess of Denmark.
 
Ennyllorac said:
Just as an addition, the Spanish Royal Website addresses him as El Principe de Asturias, Don Felipe de Bourbon y Grecia.

I realize that he gets the Grecia from his mother but does this mean that he is also considered a Prince of Greece?

yes, he is "felipe de borbon y grecia". not sure if he is prince of greece but he has greece as part of his surname.
 
Well they apparently use the title "Prince of Greece" for Felipe, but these days that title is only used by sort of courtesy - just as for the Greeks/Danes, and the Greek Royal Family. There is no Royal House of Greece these days, unfortunately...

Nice to hear this about the Girona title, didn't know that! Such a lovely city too! :)
 
infante?

Hi im new, but i was under the impression that "Infante/a" was kind of equivalent to the Grand Dukes and Duchess of Russia like the children of the KING/RULER are infante and infantas (grand duchess), whereas a "prince or princess" are a step below.

anyways im not sure just a question i had thanks guys!
 
Here's my impression:

Infante/a = Prince/Princess = Grand Duke/Duchess = Lala/Prince
 
it's only the title for the children of the king until the heir to the throne receives the title of prince of asturias. the future newborn of felipe and letizia will be "infante/a" before he or she receives the title of prince or princess of asturias.
 
Back
Top Bottom