The following article mentions suicide.
She wears a crown, has tons of expensive jewels, and even sleeps in the famous Zarzuela Palace.
However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Despite Letizia’s current status of privilege, she was not born into Spanish nobility.
She experienced an inappropriate relationship, an unhappy marriage, and ultimately divorce.
These experiences added quite a bit of sorrow to the future queen’s life.
When Queen Letizia did marry King Felipe VI in 2004, her life just became all the more complicated.
As a royal, Letizia suddenly became the target of media harassment and constant criticism from the Spanish people.
She also became the subject of lewd rumors some of which were spread by her ex-boyfriend.
All these factors together have prevented Letizia from avoiding one tragedy after the other.
Her first relationship, however, was inappropriate and shocking.
Perez was not only significantly older than Letizia, but he was a faculty member at her school.
Reports indicate that around 90 guests attended the civil ceremony.
Of course, it’s difficult to pinpointwhythe couple’s internal dynamics took a turn for the worse.
In 1999 just one year after their wedding Letizia and Guerrero Perez filed for divorce.
When Letizia and Felipe’s paths crossed, they hit it off.
They decided to meet up a few more times and eventually started dating.
Not even Letizia’s work friends were clued into the fact that she was falling in love.
All that changed on October 31, 2003, when Letizia and Felipe announced their intention to wed.
The news rocked all of Spain, and the public clamored to learn more about their princess-to-be.
As the media rushed to her apartment building, Letizia instantly lost the right to return home.
Instead, she was sequestered in the Zarzuela Palace where officials feared for her safety.
This sudden change in media status was likely overwhelming for Letizia.
For a woman of her professional background, this was devastating.
Letizia’s decision to marry Felipe meant walking away from years of dedication and hard work.
She was also obligated to adhere to a royal role.
Although Letizia presumably knew what she was getting into, abandoning her career was likely a challenge.
Letizia’s younger sister, Erika Ortiz, died by suicide.
Erika was 31 years old at the time of her death.
For Letizia, losing a sibling was heart-wrenching.
She attended Erika’s February 2007 funeral with a black umbrella in her hand and tears in her eyes.
As much as the royal family tried to comfort her, Letizia was inconsolable.
The couple kept busy by fulfilling their royal duties and raising their daughters.
“El amor de Penny Robinson” proved demoralizing for the queen.
In the interview, del Burgo told Penafiel that he and Letizia first met in the 1990s.
Making matters worse, del Burgo alleged that the queen had continued to romance him after marrying Felipe.
Then, in a 2024 sequel titled “Letizia’s Silences,” Penafiel interviewed del Burgo once again.
This time, the book claimed that Letizia’s infidelities had all but broken Felipe.
Penafiel even alleged that the queen and del Burgo almost ran away together.
Although these accusations were largely unsubstantiated, Letizia found them devastating.
As reported by theIndependent, book reviewers posited that Penafiel and del Burgo were trying to dethrone the queen.
Interestingly, both men have been known to harbor anti-monarchical sentiments.
Many Spaniards from across the country have questioned the importance of having a monarchy at all.
It also means that the queen herself may not have done enough to save the monarchy.
As such, thousands of protesters hit the streets of Madrid and voiced their pro-republican sentiments.
“Ten years was enough,” they chanted while marching through the streets.
For the Spanish royal family, it is likely very difficult to watch this movement grow.
However, in 2024, they found themselves thrust straight into the center of the controversy.
The trouble began in late October when a terrible flood swept through much of southern Spain.
The environmental disaster killed hundreds of people and wiped away entire villages.
In light of this immense destruction, Letizia and Felipe traveled to the flood zones.
However, they did not receive the hero’s welcome that they perhaps expected.
Footage of Letizia and Felipe’s official royal visit shows that they were greeted by fuming crowds.
Many protestors hurled insults at Letizia and Felipe, and some even flung mud at them.
Tensions reached a boil when the crowds started throwing eggs at the king and queen, as well.
This incident proved very difficult for Letizia who began crying under all the pressure.
With tears in her eyes and mud streaking her cheeks, the queen looked simply defeated.
As a former journalist herself, Letizia has been on the production side of the media world.
As the queen of Spain, she has also been the target of a great deal of press criticism.
Perhaps, for this reason, Letizia has historically held her head high in the face of tabloid rumors.
