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Her Majesty welcomed King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain to Buckingham Palace in 2017, to showcase that the two countries could still maintain a strong relationship after Brexit. Amidst the speeches and meeting, Queen Elizabeth gifted the King copies of letters sentimental to both of them, detailing the love between Princess Victoria Eugenie and King Alfonso.
The love between Princess Victoria, later Queen Ena, and King Alfonso means King Felipe, like Queen Elizabeth, is a descendant of Queen Victoria.
The King made a speech at Westminster stating he was “confident” that the “necessary dialogue” to navigate a post-Brexit relationship would be possible between the two nations, noting that they were “profoundly intertwined” according to the BBC.
Additionally, King Felipe highlighted the country’s investments in one another and hoped their “common interest” would ensure a harmonious and prosperous future for both regions.
Aside from political and financial commonalities, Spain and Britain’s royal families have also been entwined for decades, canonically displayed in the love letters the Queen gifted King Felipe.
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Queen Victoria Eugenie, the granddaughter of the legendary British monarch Queen Victoria, married King Alfonso XIII in 1906, becoming known as Queen Ena of Spain.
The royal, along with her four brothers, was close to her grandmother Queen Victoria and as a result, met King Alfonso when she was 17 as he made a state visit to the UK in 1905.
Alfonso, aged 19 at the time, had been made king upon his birth as he was the posthumous son of Alfonso XII who had died six months before his son’s arrival.
The young royal’s mother, Maria Christina of Austria, served as Alfonso’s regent until he turned 16 when he was ultimately crowned king of Spain.
When Alfonso arrived in the UK for a dinner party by King Edward VII it was reportedly public knowledge that he was searching for a royal bride.
The king was swiftly introduced to many young British princesses upon his arrival, including Ena. Royal Central reported that at first Alfonso actually had his eye on Ena’s cousin Princess Patricia.
However, Alfonso and Ena soon began a courtship, despite protests by his mother, and shared multiple correspondences during their time apart as he returned to Spain.
Maria’s main concern surrounding their courtship was religion, as the King of Spain required a catholic wife while Ena was reportedly protestant. The Archbishop of Canterbury also reportedly held this view as he was staunchly opposed to a link with the Spanish Catholic monarchy.
Despite all of this, the couple were wed a year later in Madrid in 1906 after Ena converted to Catholicism for her new husband.
The marriage did not get off to the best start, as the newlyweds were faced with an assassination attempt as they left the monastery.
An anarchist reportedly started throwing bombs at the wedding procession as they made their way to the reception.
The royals successfully escaped the attack unharmed but others were injured and killed according to Royal Central.
Although their courtship had been filled with affection, consequential tragedies took their toll on the couple as their children began to suffer medical issues, according to the outlet.
The royal pair had seven children together, the last of which was stillborn, but of those that did survive to adulthood two of their sons suffered from haemophilia whilst another had ongoing health problems throughout his life.
The political situation in Spain became increasingly unstable throughout Alfonso’s reign which ended with army general Miguel Primo de Rivera establishing a dictatorship in 1923 with the King’s support.
De Rivera only maintained his position for seven years and by 1931 King Alfonso went into exile with his family and the distance between him and his wife slowly began to increase as she spent most of her time in the UK or Switzerland.
In seven years Ena lost her youngest and eldest sons in separate car crashes and King Alfonso died soon after in 1941. Following which Ena lived alone for a long time before forming a royal social circle.
Eventually, the esteemed Grace Kelly would be welcomed into Queen Ena’s inner circle when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco. The two were reportedly so close that Grace named Ena the godmother of her son Albert in 1958.
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