Victoria Federica de Marichalar y de Borbon
Touching words about her grandfather Juan Carlos, who lives in exile
Victoria Federica de Marichalar y de Borbon
© Jose Oliva/Europa Press / Getty Images
Fashion shows, photo shoots, advertising contracts: Victoria Federica de Marichalar y de Borbón is currently celebrating her big breakthrough. In a new interview, she even talks about her royal family.
For a few months, more precisely since she made her Instagram account public, Victoria Federica de Marichalar y Borbón, 21, has played a major role in the international fashion world. King Felipe’s niece, 54, recently attended Paris Fashion Week and sat in the front row at shows for popular luxury brands such as Dior, Loewe and Chanel. Now she is taking another big step towards the public – she is giving her first interview.
Victoria Federica reveals Juan Carlos is her ‘favourite’
Victoria Federica adorns the cover of the April issue of the Spanish “Elle” and also speaks surprisingly openly about her private life with the magazine. Among other things, the 21-year-old reveals how much she admires her grandparents. She even describes her grandfather, ex-king Juan Carlos, 84, as her absolute “favorite person” and “second father”. “I’ve admired him since I was a child, I’ve always seen him as a dedicated man and I hope that all the work and effort he’s put in throughout his life will be recognized and appreciated,” says Victoria, emphasizing that she talks to her grandfather very often, but hasn’t seen him for a long time. “He remains my greatest source of inspiration and will remain so until I die.”
Juan Carlos has fallen out of favor with his people after various scandals, and the Spanish royal family is not particularly fond of the former king. Since August 2020, the royal has even lived in exile in Abu Dhabi. At the beginning of March this year, it became known that the public prosecutor’s office had stopped investigating the ex-king. So he could theoretically come back to Spain. For personal reasons, Juan Carlos still wants to stay in his new adopted country, as he announced in a letter to his son Felipe.
His granddaughter Victoria, on the other hand, would have been happy to see her grandfather return. Her best memory of her grandfather is an afternoon spent together in the bullring. “It’s one of the most beautiful moments in my memories, which I keep with infinite affection,” reveals the 21-year-old in the “Elle” interview.
Tattoos for the family
To show how important family is to her, Victoria not only got a tattoo honoring her grandparents, but also her parents and brother Felipe, 23. One wrist is adorned with a shell in homage to her paternal grandmother, and the other with three dots, symbolizing her parents and brother. A tattoo on her ankle is a declaration of love for her grandfather: a sailboat meant to commemorate the last boat Juan Carlos sailed on. Also on the upper part of her left ear is a small smiley face consisting of two dots, a hyphen and a bracket. “It’s what represents me the most because I’m a very happy, cheerful and funny person. Simple but very descriptive,” explains the 21-year-old.
About herself, Victoria Federica reveals that she is a “very disciplined” person and “likes to do things well”. “I can do whatever I set my mind to,” says the Spaniard proudly. She was particularly influenced by her grandmothers, Queen Sofia, 83, and Concepción Sáenz de Tejada, † 85, and her mother, Infanta Elena, 56. Victoria describes the three as the “women of her life”.
She got a feeling for the importance of social commitment from her grandmothers. “They have shown a great sensitivity throughout their lives when it comes to getting involved with charities and giving them a voice. In the future, I want to follow in their footsteps and do projects that are just as relevant as those who supported them,” announces Victoria. At the moment she is still looking for her “place in the world”.
Sources used: elle.com/es, instagram.com