The very glamorous niece of King Felipe of Spain has been dubbed the latest ‘It girl’ by society bible Tatler after making a name for herself on the European social scene.
Victoria de Marichalar y Borbón, 21, has taken Instagram by storm as she documents her stylish lifestyle – including trips to Greece, Italy’s Florence, and France’s capital for Paris Fashion Week.
The jet-setter, who is fifth in line to the Spanish throne, is the younger child and only daughter of King Felipe’s older sister, Infanta Elena, 58 and her ex-husband Jaime de Marichalar, 58.
She reportedly went to a boarding school in Sussex during her teenage years before enrolling at the College for International Studies (CIS), in Madrid, to study business administration and management.
Victoria has been dating DJ Jorge Bárcenas since 2019, after meeting at the Starlite festival in Marbella, and the pair live togethe rin an apartment on Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid.
The very glamorous niece (pictured) of King Felipe of Spain has been dubbed the latest ‘It girl’ after making a name for herself on the European social scene
Victoria de Marichalar y Borbón (pictured), 21, has taken Instagram by storm as she documents her stylish lifestyle – including trips to Greece, Italy’s Florence, and France’s capital for Paris Fashion Week
The jet-setter (pictured), who is fifth in line to the Spanish throne, is the younger child and only daughter of King Felipe’s older sister, Infanta Elena, 58 and her ex-husband Jaime de Marichalar, 58
Victoria went public on Instagram in 2019, aged 18, and has since amassed 113,000 followers thanks to the glimpses she gives of her glamorous life.
The royal, who was is known to be a fan of bull-fighting, often spotted attending shows at the Las Ventas bullring in Spain’s capital city, made her first red carpet appearance at the ELLE Style Awards in October last year.
Since then, fans have been eager to note the similarities between Victoria and her fashionable aunt Queen Letizia.
For her first red carpet appearance, she sported a blue floor-length gown with a cut-out back by Spanish designer Lorenzo Caprile, a favourite of Letizia’s.
She teamed the eye-catching ensemble with Manolo Blahnik heels, according to Tatler, while opting to style her hair in a high ponytail.
And her glamorous displays haven’t stopped there. In December, she attended the Moet & Chandon party at the royal theatre in Madrid.
Victoria has been dating DJ Jorge Bárcenas since 2019, after meeting at the Starlite festival in Marbella,
Victoria (pictured in November 2021) reportedly went to a boarding school in Sussex during her teenage years before enrolling at the College for International Studies (CIS), in Madrid, to study business administration and management
Victoria (second left) seen during the performance of the bullfighter Gonzalo Caballero (right) during Chinchon Bullfighting Festival on October 20, 2018 in Chinchon, is known to be a fan of the traditional blood sport
She sported a silver metallic dress for the occasion, featuring a cape detail and teamed with dazzling drop earrings.
At the time of her birth in 2000, Victoria was third in the line of succession, after her mother and Felipe.
However, since the birth of her cousins Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, she is now fifth in line to the throne followed by her aunt, Infanta Cristina.
Infanta Cristina announced this week that she and her husband Iñaki Urdangarin are splitting up, days after he was caught with another woman.
The couple shared the news in a statement to Spain’s State News Agency, asking the public to respect their privacy and stating they would always be there to support their four children: Juan, 22, Pablo, 21, Miguel, 19 and Irene, 16.
The news comes less than a week after businessman Urdangarin, 54, was pictured holding hands with another woman, allegedly an unnamed co-worker at the Imaz & Asociados law firm, in a photo published by the Spanish magazine Lecturas.
Royal role: Whie the fifth in line to the throne does not have official duties, she occasionally takes part in engagements, such as acting as patroness of an equestrian exhibition in Sevilla’s bullring La Maestranza
The royal (pictured), who was is known to be a fan of bull-fighting, often spotted attending shows at the Las Ventas bullring in Spain’s capital city, made her first red carpet appearance at the ELLE Style Awards in October last year
Urdangarin married Infanta Cristina in 1997. In 2018, he was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzlement and money laundering in excess of £4. million through his non-profit organisation, the Noos Institute.
Last year, he was granted permission to move to the Grade 3 Spanish prison regime, which means he only needs to report to prison once a week.
In their statement to EFE, the couple asked for ‘respect’ for a private decision ‘to end our marriage relationship by mutual agreement.’ They added that their commitment to their four children remains ‘intact’.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, an expert claimed Victoria’s maternal grandfather the former King of Spain Juan Carlos wants to return home and does not care about possibly damaging the Royal Family’s reputation by doing so.
At the time of her birth in 2000, Victoria (pictured in 2020) was third in the line of succession, after her mother and Felipe
Juan Carlos, 83, who abdicated in 2014 in favour of his son Felipe VI, 53, has been living in Abu Dhabi since summer 2020 after becoming the target of several probes in Spain over his financial dealings.
However, the elderly royal is reportedly hoping to see out his final years at home, despite a majority of the Spanish public opposing his return.
Speaking to The Times, Pablo Simon, a professor of political science at Carlos III University in Madrid, explained Juan Carlos ‘does not care’ whether his actions damage his son and his family.
He added the monarch believes he has ‘done his part’ for Spain by playing an instrumental role in re-establishing democracy after the death of General Franco in 1975.
Who is Spain’s former king, Juan Carlos I?
Juan Carlos I reigned as king of Spain from November 1975 until his abdication in June 2014
Juan Carlos I reigned as king of Spain from November 1975 until his abdication in June 2014.
He was a popular monarch for most of his four-decade reign who played a critical role in the country’s transition to democracy.
He is the grandson of Alfonso XIII, the last king of Spain before the abolition of the monarchy in 1931 and the subsequent declaration of the Second Spanish Republic.
Juan Carlos was born in Rome, Italy, on January 5, 1938, during his family’s exile. He came to Spain in 1947 to continue his studies and entered the Zaragoza military academy.
He completed his tertiary education at the University of Madrid and went on to marry Princess Sofia of Greece and Denmark in Athens in 1962.
They went on to have two daughters and a son together: Elena, Cristina, and Felipe.
Juan Carlos first began periodically acting as Spain’s head of state in the summer of 1974. Fascist dictator Francisco Franco died in November the following year and Juan Carlos became king on 22 November 1975, two days after Franco’s death.
Juan Carlos was hailed for his role in Spain’s transition to democracy and reforms to dismantle the Francoist regime.
However the King and the monarchy’s reputation began to suffer after controversies surrounding his family arose.
In April 2012, Juan Carlos faced criticism for an elephant-hunting trip in Botswana during a time of financial crisis in Spain.
The public found out about the trip only after the King injured himself and a special aircraft was sent to bring him home.
Pictured left to right: Then-Princess Letizia , Prince Felipe, Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos pose for a photo in 2009
Spanish officials stated that the expenses of the trip were not paid by taxpayers or by the palace, but by Syrian businessman Mohamed Eyad Kayali.
Corruption scandals circling the royal family closed in when his daughter, Princess Cristina, was accused of tax fraud in 2014 and became the first Spanish royal to stand trial. She was later acquitted, but her husband was sentenced.
He abdicated in favour of his son, Prince Felipe, in 2014, and last year, Juan Carlos announced his decision to withdraw from public life, ending his remaining institutional functions and appearances from June 2019. Last August, he successfully underwent heart surgery in Madrid.
In June 2020, Spain’s supreme court prosecutor opened an investigation into Juan Carlos’ involvement in a high-speed rail contract in Saudi Arabia that was granted to a group of Spanish companies in 2011.
King Felipe renounced his own inheritance and stripped his father of his palace allowance in March after reports the latter received $100 million from the late Saudi king and gave millions to a businesswoman.