Titles of the Royal Family

[An Ard Ri]

The current heir to the Hernani dukedom is Don Alfonso Zurita y Borbón ,that dukedom unlike Soria is hereditary.

 

[meeralakshmi]

That’s correct, Sofía would be HRH Infanta Doña Sofía of Spain, Duchess of X and Countess of Wessex and James would be HE Don James Mountbatten-Windsor, Duke of X and Earl of Wessex.

Sofía could be given a county rather than a duchy. James would then hold two comital titles, a non-royal one suo jure and a royal one jure uxoris. However if Sofía is eligible for a peerage when she marries I’d like them to make her Duchess of Cádiz which was the peerage held by her 4x great-grandfather prior to becoming king. He is the only male consort of the unified Spain prior to Leonor’s future husband.

 

[An Ard Ri]

I'm not 100% sure if Sofia will receive a ducal title after the fiasco with Cristina/Inaki and I think that custom may well be discontinued.

 

[Alondra]

I'm not 100% sure if Sofia will receive a ducal title after the fiasco with Cristina/Inaki and I think that custom may well be discontinued.

I agree. I'm no sure Sofia will receive any title at all beyond being an Infanta of Spain by birth..

 

[Somebody]

Given that the king just handed out 6 nobility titles (of which 5 are hereditary), the chances that he might also give another title to Sofía might have increased...

 

[meeralakshmi]

Given that the king just handed out 6 nobility titles (of which 5 are hereditary), the chances that he might also give another title to Sofía might have increased...

I don’t see what titles have to do with marital troubles anyway.

 

[Blog Real]

I believe she will receive the title of Duchess when she gets married. Felipe is a king who follows traditions and he would not fail to give a title to his youngest daughter just because of what happened to Infanta Cristina.

 

[Mbruno]

Given that the king just handed out 6 nobility titles (of which 5 are hereditary), the chances that he might also give another title to Sofía might have increased...

It is interesting that descendants of a King of Spain are not deemed "worthy" to inherit a title of nobility in perpetuity to signify their descent from the Royal House, but descendants for example of a famous tennis player born as a commoner are given the right to keep a marquisate across successive generations.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

It is interesting that descendants of a King of Spain are not deemed "worthy" to inherit a title of nobility in perpetuity to signify their descent from the Royal House, but descendants for example of a famous tennis player born as a commoner are given the right to keep a marquisate across successive generations.

In 1987 (when that rule for the royal family was decreed), descendants of past kings of Spain were political threats to the ruling line of King Juan Carlos I.

In 2025, Rafael Nadal’s descendants are unlikely to become political rivals to King Felipe VI and his successors.

 

[meeralakshmi]

It is interesting that descendants of a King of Spain are not deemed "worthy" to inherit a title of nobility in perpetuity to signify their descent from the Royal House, but descendants for example of a famous tennis player born as a commoner are given the right to keep a marquisate across successive generations.

I think Spanish royal peerages are now life peerages so they have enough to give to married infantes/infantas.

It is interesting that descendants of a King of Spain are not deemed "worthy" to inherit a title of nobility in perpetuity to signify their descent from the Royal House, but descendants for example of a famous tennis player born as a commoner are given the right to keep a marquisate across successive generations.

You do have a point here though, rather than making the royal peerages hereditary they could create new hereditary titles.

 

[Stefan]

I think Spanish royal peerages are now life peerages so they have enough to give to married infantes/infantas.

But then both Elena and Cristina got new royal Dukedoms and i thinks also Soria had not been used before

 

[meeralakshmi]

But then both Elena and Cristina got new royal Dukedoms and i thinks also Soria had not been used before

I see, then Mbruno is right.

 

[Somebody]

Exactly, they are royal because they are given to a royal, not the other way around.

 

[meeralakshmi]

For the surname of Leonor’s children I’m guessing that if her husband is a commoner or aristocrat her heir will have her surname first and her other children will have their father’s surname first. Such is the case for the children of the Duchess of Alba though her third son also has her surname first, not sure why. However if her husband is another royal I wouldn’t be surprised if all her children have his surname first and the name of the house changes to his surname. Though they didn’t feel the need to adopt absolute primogeniture when Felipe’s second child turned out to be another girl they will probably adopt it when Leonor has children.

Such is the case for the children of the Duchess of Alba though her third son also has her surname first, not sure why.

Apparently all her children were born with her husband’s surname first and her first and third children chose to switch the order of their surnames.

 

[Stefan]

Though they didn’t feel the need to adopt absolute primogeniture when Felipe’s second child turned out to be another girl they will probably adopt it when Leonor has children.

It would be high time to change the succession law and better now before Leonor marries and has children, but given the political situation in Spain, i don't think it will be change anytime soon as it is a very complicated and lengthy Process to do.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

In 1987 (when that rule for the royal family was decreed), descendants of past kings of Spain were political threats to the ruling line of King Juan Carlos I.

I'll amend this to "were recently political threats". I believe by 1987 Juan Carlos I's throne was secure from the likes of the Segovias and Carlists, but I am sure he remembered how they threatened to undermine him.

Apparently all her children were born with her husband’s surname first and her first and third children chose to switch the order of their surnames.

When the children of the last-deceased Duchess of Alba were born, it was not allowed for parents for assign their children the mother's surname at birth. Only adults could apply to reverse the order of their surnames.

Assigning the mother's surname at birth only became a legal option on February 6, 2000, when Law 40/1999 amending the Civil Code entered into force.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Of course, I meant "assigning the mother's surname as the first surname" - hopefully most understood what I meant.

 

[meeralakshmi]

And I would assume that if an infante marries a foreign princess she won't receive a title either, is that correct?

If the princess can’t share her title with the infante would they give the infante a peerage?

 

[Tatiana Maria]

And I would assume that if an infante marries a foreign princess she won't receive a title either, is that correct?

Exactly. After centuries of Spain practicing some of the strictest equal-marriage requirements in Europe, that is all in the past. Today, the family background of the spouse is no longer relevant in regards to titles.

Infante Carlos (1938-2015) and his wife Princess Ana are the most recent precedent case of an Infante of Spain married to a foreign-born princess. In the 1990s, King Juan Carlos I granted his cousin Carlos (a great-grandson of King Alfonso XII) the title of Infante of Spain. But he did not extend the same title to Carlos’s wife Ana, even though she was born as HRH Princess of Orléans and known as Princess of France.

See for instance the 2004 royal wedding program, in which the couple were styled:

“Sus Altezas Reales el Infante Don Carlos y Doña Ana de Francia”
[Their Royal Highnesses Infante Don Carlos and Doña Ana of France]

https://www.casareal.es/ES/Documents/boda/info/programa.pdf

If the princess can’t share her title with the infante would they give the infante a peerage?

My guess is that they would allow her to continue using her own foreign princessly title, so no need to grant her husband a noble title to share with her. Princess Nora of Liechtenstein still uses her foreign princessly title despite living in Spain and being married to a Spanish nobleman.

 

[meeralakshmi]

Exactly. After centuries of Spain practicing some of the strictest equal-marriage requirements in Europe, that is all in the past. Today, the family background of the spouse is no longer relevant in regards to titles.

Infante Carlos (1938-2015) and his wife Princess Ana are the most recent precedent case of an Infante of Spain married to a foreign-born princess. In the 1990s, King Juan Carlos I granted his cousin Carlos (a great-grandson of King Alfonso XII) the title of Infante of Spain. But he did not extend the same title to Carlos’s wife Ana, even though she was born as HRH Princess of Orléans and known as Princess of France.

See for instance the 2004 royal wedding program, in which the couple were styled:

“Sus Altezas Reales el Infante Don Carlos y Doña Ana de Francia”
[Their Royal Highnesses Infante Don Carlos and Doña Ana of France]

https://www.casareal.es/ES/Documents/boda/info/programa.pdf

My guess is that they would allow her to continue using her own foreign princessly title, so no need to grant her husband a noble title to share with her. Princess Nora of Liechtenstein still uses her foreign princessly title despite living in Spain and being married to a Spanish nobleman.

However Anne and Nora both share peerages with their husbands. Anne is the Dowager Duchess of Calabria and Nora is the Dowager Marchioness of Mariño.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

However Anne and Nora both share peerages with their husbands. Anne is the Dowager Duchess of Calabria and Nora is the Dowager Marchioness of Mariño.

But those titles were not granted by King Juan Carlos I or King Felipe VI, and the royal court refers to the women by their own higher titles, so I don't think they would influence King Felipe VI or Queen Leonor I's future decisions on titles.

 

[Stefan]

However Anne and Nora both share peerages with their husbands. Anne is the Dowager Duchess of Calabria and Nora is the Dowager Marchioness of Mariño.

But Duke of Calabria is no spanish noble Title and I think this I why it was not used officially at the 2004 Wedding.

 

[An Ard Ri]

But Duke of Calabria is no spanish noble Title and I think this I why it was not used officially at the 2004 Wedding.

Calabria is a title from the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and before that it was used by the kingdom of Naples.
The Count of Caserta title is also an Italian title.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Returning to the discussion about hypothetical children of Infanta Sofía and a foreign royal or noble husband:

Whereas the news media in Spain continue to translate forenames and surnames, especially for royals, legal documents in this day and age are more likely to leave names in their original language.

For example, observe how the likely future Duchess of Seville is named in the official notice in the State Bulletin: The particle “of” in her maternal surname from her German-born mother is rendered using the German “von”, not the Spanish “de”.

“La sucesión como Duquesa de Sevilla, con Grandeza de España, ha sido solicitada por doña Olivia Enriqueta de Borbón Von Hardenberg,”​

​

BOE-B-2025-24688 Anuncio de la Subsecretaría (División de Derechos de Gracia y otros Derechos), sobre solicitud de sucesión como Duquesa de Sevilla, con Grandeza de España.

boe.es

Therefore, if Infanta Sofía were to marry Dutch Count Claus-Casimir for example, I would expect their children’s paternal surname to be “van Oranje-Nassau van Amsberg” and not “de Orange-Nassau de Amsberg”.

Belgium might be an exception due to the language sensitivities in that country, as using “de Sajonia-Coburgo” would avoid the choice between “van Saksen-Coburg” and “de Saxe-Cobourg”.

 

[Charlotte_Aster]

For example, observe how the likely future Duchess of Seville is named in the official notice in the State Bulletin: The particle “of” in her maternal surname from her German-born mother is rendered using the German “von”, not the Spanish “de”.

There is a distinction between Germany and Belgium/the Netherlands regarding the use of certain particles in surnames. In Germany, 'von Hardenberg' is a surname, and 'von' has not depicted a nobiliary particle since the abolishment of the monarchy. In contrast, 'de' and sometimes 'van' are still recognized as nobiliary particles in Belgium and the Netherlands.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Noble family names in the Benelux region often include a 'de' or 'van', but the particles are not by themselves an indicator of nobility. Unlike historical Germany, where those with a 'von' in their name were nearly always (with rare exceptions) noble, it is quite common for Dutch/Belgian commoners to have a 'van' or 'de' name.

 

[Somebody]

There is a distinction between Germany and Belgium/the Netherlands regarding the use of certain particles in surnames. In Germany, 'von Hardenberg' is a surname, and 'von' has not depicted a nobiliary particle since the abolishment of the monarchy. In contrast, 'de' and sometimes 'van' are still recognized as nobiliary particles in Belgium and the Netherlands.

'van' is no indication at all that someone from the Netherlands is of noble origin. A few of them are but many are not. For example, in the top-10 of Dutch surnames (dated 2023) are two 'van's:
4) van de/den/der Berg [60.135]
5) van Dijk [57.879]

Sporting a double surname without a hyphen on the other hand often (but not always) is an indication of nobility.

However, let's stick to discussing the Spanish customs...

 

[meeralakshmi]

Returning to the discussion about hypothetical children of Infanta Sofía and a foreign royal or noble husband:

Whereas the news media in Spain continue to translate forenames and surnames, especially for royals, legal documents in this day and age are more likely to leave names in their original language.

For example, observe how the likely future Duchess of Seville is named in the official notice in the State Bulletin: The particle “of” in her maternal surname from her German-born mother is rendered using the German “von”, not the Spanish “de”.

“La sucesión como Duquesa de Sevilla, con Grandeza de España, ha sido solicitada por doña Olivia Enriqueta de Borbón Von Hardenberg,”​

​

BOE-B-2025-24688 Anuncio de la Subsecretaría (División de Derechos de Gracia y otros Derechos), sobre solicitud de sucesión como Duquesa de Sevilla, con Grandeza de España.

boe.es

Therefore, if Infanta Sofía were to marry Dutch Count Claus-Casimir for example, I would expect their children’s paternal surname to be “van Oranje-Nassau” and not “de Orange-Nassau”.

Belgium might be an exception due to the language sensitivities in that country, as using “de Sajonia-Coburgo” would avoid the choice between “van Saksen-Coburg” and “de Saxe-Cobourg”.

The second son of the Duchess of Alba (the Duke of Híjar) married Princess María de la Santísima Trinidad of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. She is referred to as María de la Santísima Trinidad de Hohenlohe-Langenburg in Spain. The surname of their children is Martínez de Irujo y Hohenlohe-Langenburg (no von or de). My guess is that if Sofía married Claus-Casimir the surname of their children in Spain would be de Orange-Nassau y Borbón. If Sofía married him would they grant her a peerage or would his title be enough?

The second son of the Duchess of Alba (the Duke of Híjar) married Princess María de la Santísima Trinidad of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. She is referred to as María de la Santísima Trinidad de Hohenlohe-Langenburg in Spain. The surname of their children is Martínez de Irujo y Hohenlohe-Langenburg (no von or de). My guess is that if Sofía married Claus-Casimir the surname of their children in Spain would be de Orange-Nassau y Borbón. If Sofía married him would they grant her a peerage or would his title be enough?

I wouldn't be surprised if they granted her a peerage as that would outrank his non-royal comital title.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

I wouldn't be surprised if they granted her a peerage as that would outrank his non-royal comital title.

After his recent creations of nobility, I would hope Felipe VI would see the sense in raising his hypothetical son-in-law to at least the same rank as he raised Rafael Nadal.

Then again, he could accomplish that without conferring a title of nobility upon him via creating him a Grandee of Spain, which is still permitted under the 1987 royal decree. A Grandee outranks nobles who are not grandees, regardless of their title.

The second son of the Duchess of Alba (the Duke of Híjar) married Princess María de la Santísima Trinidad of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. She is referred to as María de la Santísima Trinidad de Hohenlohe-Langenburg in Spain. The surname of their children is Martínez de Irujo y Hohenlohe-Langenburg (no von or de).

Are you looking at official documents or at unofficial references in the media, social media etc., which are more likely to translate names? In the State Bulletin, the Duchess of Medinaceli, who is also a Hohenlohe-Langenburg, appears as "doña Victoria Elisabeth von Hohenlohe-Langenburg" while her father the late Duke is described as "don Marco de Hohenlohe Medina".

BOE-A-2017-5668 Orden JUS/451/2017, de 8 de mayo, por la que se manda expedir, sin perjuicio de tercero de mejor derecho, Real Carta de Sucesión en el título de Duque de Medinaceli, con Grandeza de España, a favor de doña Victoria Elisabeth von Hohen

boe.es

 

[meeralakshmi]

After his recent creations of nobility, I would hope Felipe VI would see the sense in raising his hypothetical son-in-law to at least the same rank as he raised Rafael Nadal.

I wonder if they will create any royal marquessates or if they will stick to dukedoms and counties.