She is the granddaughter of a taxi driver, was an award-winning journalist before marrying into the Spanish royal family and is referred to by her people as the “queen of the common people”.
So it’s perhaps not surprising that Queen Letizia of Spain is aiming for a more down-to-earth approach to royal life.
Indeed, it was evident as the 50-year-old mother-of-two literally jumped for joy as she attended the Spanish team’s boisterous celebrations after their victory at the Women’s World Cup in Sydney last weekend.
Letizia cheered on the team from the stands with her 16-year-old daughter Infanta Sofia – but while the Spanish players looked royalty in the crowd, no members of the British royal family were present at the game to support the defeated Lionesses.
King Felipe VI’s wife also demonstrates her more modest demeanor through her clothes – she’s incorporated high street fashion into her royal engagement look, has re-worn many outfits and obviously isn’t afraid to flaunt her very toned figure.
Letizia (pictured lifting the trophy) literally jumped for joy as she joined the Spanish team’s boisterous celebrations after their victory at the Women’s World Cup in Sydney last weekend
The Queen of Spain – who is known for following a strict diet and exercise routine that includes cardio workouts and yoga – is often pictured flaunting her remarkably sculpted arms and shapely back or stomach thanks to the outfits she wears flaunts.
For example, in May 2022, at a Red Cross event in Valencia, she showed off her taut stomach in a daring pink dress with cut-outs.
While she’s not shy about flaunting her enviable figure, the Queen also proves her fashion choices aren’t just for the rich and famous by shopping at high-street stores – including H&M, Zara and Massimo Dutti.
An even more relatable moment from Letizia happened when the Queen was caught posing for photos for the BeReal app in images shared online by royal fans in January 2023.
All of the social media app’s followers will be notified simultaneously in an unpredictable two-minute window, prompting them to immediately post what they’re up to.
The Spanish mother-of-two was hanging out with a group of young swimmers on an undated occasion when one apparently got his notification for the day and dutifully posed for a selfie.
In snaps shared by @ on Twitterdavid_h_moralesIn a photo with the group, the royal can be seen beaming with joy.
In a recent video clip, Queen Letizia appears to be receiving instructions on how to use the app from one of the young swimmers.
King Felipe VI’s wife also demonstrates her more modest demeanor through her clothes – she’s incorporated high street fashion into her royal engagement look, has re-worn many outfits and obviously isn’t afraid to flaunt her very toned figure
The Queen of Spain – who is known for following a strict diet and exercise routine that includes cardio workouts and yoga – is often pictured flaunting her remarkably sculpted arms and shapely back or abs thanks to the outfits she wears flaunts
After Spain’s victory, the players celebrated with Queen Letizia (pictured left) and her daughter Sofia (pictured right). Aitana Bonmati (centre) receives the Golden Ball award.
At one point (pictured left) the royal was seen dancing, punching the air and jumping in jubilation. Meanwhile, daughter Sofia wrapped herself in the Spanish flag (pictured right).
She is seen combing her hair as she prepares for a selfie before snapping another photo of a group right in front of her.
In the snaps, which are undated, the royal wears a fuchsia pink blouse and black trousers. Letizia’s appearance on the social media app appears to be a first for a member of the royal family.
In a 2022 profile of Letizia in El País newspaper, Spain’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Pilar Cancela, said: “The Queen is our main help.” “I thought she was cold and distant, but she is professional, normal and funny,” reported euronews.
The sympathetic king also comes from a modest background. Letizia was born on September 15, 1972 in Oviedo, Northern Spain. She grew up in a middle-class family and attended a public school.
While her mother, Maria Rodriguez, was a nurse, Letizia took care of her father, Jesús José Ortiz Álvarez, and her stepmother, Ana Togores, both journalists, and studied Communications at the University of Madrid.
She then went on to do her masters in broadcast journalism and after a stint at the Asturian daily La Nueva España she worked for ABC, a popular national newspaper with the third largest circulation in Spain.
She then worked for the Spanish news agency EFE before moving to Guadalajara, Mexico, where she took on a role at the local newspaper Siglo 21.
In May 2022, at a Red Cross event in Valencia, Letizia showed off her taut stomach in a striking pink dress with cut-outs
Another sculpture presentation by Letizia at the Reina Letizia 202 Awards in 2021. Here she finds award winner Inmaculada Vivas Teson wearing the exact same dress
Queen Letizia of Spain was pictured in snaps posing for photos for the BeReal app shared online by royal fans earlier this year
A year later, she returned to Spain and worked for the Spanish version of Bloomberg, a news channel and agency specializing in economics, before moving to CNN+.
Before she met Felipe from Spain, Letizia was married to literature teacher Alonso Guerrero Perez, nine years her senior.
The couple married in 1998 after a ten-year romance – the couple met when the future Queen of Spain was just 16 years old.
They tied the knot in a civil ceremony in the town of Almendralejo, Badajoz, but divorced the following year after just a year of marriage.
When she met her future husband Felipe in 2002, Letizia was working for the popular TV channel 24 Horas, where she covered a variety of breaking news in addition to hosting the popular evening news show Telediario 2.
As a newsreader, she reported live from Ground Zero after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The following year she met Prince Felipe – at the scene of an oil spill in northern Spain. The year after first meeting Felipe, Letizia quit her job and a few days later their engagement was announced.
Letizia and Felipe’s marriage in Madrid in 2004 sparked a surge in support for the royal family, and her habit of championing high-street brands like Zara proved popular. She and Felipe had two daughters, Leonor in 2005 and Sofia in 2007.