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Infanta Cristina of Spain

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Cristina de Borbón
Duchess of Palma de Mallorca
Infanta Cristina at the GAVI Alliance conference in London, 13 June 2011
Born (1965-06-13) 13 June 1965 (age 59)
Madrid, Spain
SpouseIñaki Urdangarín, Duke of Palma de Mallorca
IssueJuan Urdangarín y de Borbón
Pablo Urdangarín y de Borbón
Miguel Urdangarín y de Borbón
Irene Urdangarín y de Borbón
Names
Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia
HouseHouse of Bourbon
FatherJuan Carlos I of Spain
MotherSophia of Greece and Denmark
ReligionRoman Catholic
Royal styles of
Infanta Cristina of Spain,
Duchess of Palma de Mallorca
Reference styleHer Royal Highness
Spoken styleYour Royal Highness
Alternative styleMa'am

Infanta Cristina of Spain, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca (Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santísima Trinidad de Borbón y Grecia, born 13 June 1965) is the younger daughter of the former King and Queen of Spain, Juan Carlos and Sofia. As of 2015 she is fifth in the line of succession to the Spanish throne, after her brother King Felipe VI's children, her sister Elena, and Elena's children.

Birth

Cristina was born in Madrid and was baptized into the Church at the Palacio de La Zarzuela by the Archbishop of Madrid. Her godparents were Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz, and Infanta Maria Cristina of Spain.

Education

She received her secondary education at Santa María del Camino School and she graduated from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 1989 with a degree in political science. She continued her studies at New York University, obtaining a master's degree in international relations in 1990. In 1991, she gained practical experience working at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

The Infanta is fluent in Spanish, Catalan, English and Greek.

Marriage and children

She married team handball player Iñaki Urdangarín in Barcelona on 4 October 1997, at which time her father conferred on her the title Duchess of Palma de Mallorca for life.[1] Iñaki Urdangarín became the Duke of Palma de Mallorca.

The couple have four children, all born in Barcelona:

  • Don Juan Urdangarín y de Borbón, born 29 September 1999
  • Don Pablo Urdangarín y de Borbón, born 6 December 2000
  • Don Miguel Urdangarín y de Borbón, born 30 April 2002
  • Doña Irene Urdangarín y de Borbón, born 5 June 2005

They lived in Washington, D.C. from 2009 to 2012, where her husband worked for Telefónica. In August 2013 she moved with her four children to Geneva, Switzerland, to take a job with the Caixa Foundation, while her husband, who is the subject of an embezzlement investigation, remained in Barcelona.[2]

Activities in Spain and abroad

She carries out many institutional, cultural, academic and welfare activities in Spain and abroad, especially in European and Latin American countries.

As Honorary President of the Spanish Committee of UNESCO, she has maintained her links with this international organization and with several of its projects, especially educational ones, with a focus on activities to protect the natural and artistic heritage. In October 2001, she was appointed Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations for the 2nd World Assembly on Ageing. She is also a member of the Dali Foundation Board of Trustees.

She supports a number of welfare bodies and participates personally in courses on adapted sailing for disabled people. She is the President of the International Foundation for Disabled Sailing.

She's also been a member of the Bilderberg Group since 2001, with her parents.

Corruption inquiry

Her husband was investigated from early 2012 on suspicion of fraudulently obtaining millions in public funds in the Nóos case. In April 2013, Infanta Cristina was formally named as a suspect in the case by the judge in charge.[3] When approached for comment, the Royal Household said that it "does not comment on judicial decisions", yet the next day, after the anti-corruption prosecutor announced that he would appeal the decision, they commented on it showing their "absolute conformity".[4] In light of the forthcoming trial, she and her children moved to Geneva, Switzerland in Summer 2013. On 7 January 2014, a Spanish judge charged her with tax fraud and money laundering and ordered her to appear in court.[5] She made her first appearance in a court in Majorca on 8 February 2014, where she denied any knowledge of her husband's dealings.[6]

Spanish judge Jose Castro formalised charges against Princess Cristina on 25 June 2014 resulting in the possibility that she could face trial, with up to 11 years in jail if found guilty. An appeal was lodged against the decision.[7] In November 2014, the high court in Palma de Mallorca upheld tax fraud charges against the princess, paving the way for her to face trial; however, it decided to drop money-laundering charges. Her lawyers maintain that they are completely convinced of her innocence.[8] On December 22, 2014, the High Court of the Balearic Islands announced that Princess Cristina, her husband and 15 others would stand trial on tax fraud charges 'as soon as next year'.[9]

Sports and participation in the Olympics

She practices a number of sports including skiing, but her favorite is sailing. She has taken part in many national and international events and was a member of the Spanish Olympic sailing team at the Seoul Games in 1988 where she was standard bearer in the opening parade.

Titles, styles, honors and arms

Titles

  • 13 June 1965 – 26 September 1997: Her Royal Highness the Infanta Doña Cristina of Spain
  • 26 September 1997 – : Her Royal Highness the Infanta Doña Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca

The Infanta's style and title in full: Su Alteza Real Doña Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santísima Trinidad de Borbón y Grecia de Urdangarín, Infanta de España, Duquesa de Palma de Mallorca (Her Royal Highness Doña Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santísima Trinidad de Borbón y Grecia de Urdangarín, Infanta of Spain, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca).

Honors

See also List of honors of the Spanish Royal Family by country

National honors
Foreign honors

Arms

Coat of arms of Infanta Cristina of Spain
Notes
The Duchess's personalized coat of arms are the shield of the arms of the monarch in right of Spain, differenced by a label.
Crest
The crown of Infantes of Spain
Escutcheon
Quarterly 1stgules a castle or, triple-embattled and voided gate and windows, with three towers each triple-turreted, of the field, masoned sable and ajoure azure 2ndargent a lion rampant purpure crowned or, langued and armed 3rd or, four pallets gules and 4th gules a cross, saltire and orle of chains linked together or, a centre point vert
Argent enté en point, with a pomegranate proper seeded gules, supported, sculpted and leafed in two leaves vert.
Inescutcheon azure bordure gules, three fleurs-de-lys or.
Orders
The Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III ribbon.
Other elements
The whole differenced by a label of three points azure, the central point charged with a palm vert fimbriated or
Symbolism
As with the Royal Arms of Spain. The first quarter are the arms of Castile, the second of León, the third of Aragon and the fourth of Navarre. Enté en point, the arms of Granada. Inescutcheon, the arms of Bourbon-Anjou.

A palm vert has been a charge of the arms of Palma de Mallorca.[36][37]

Ancestry

Family of Infanta Cristina of Spain

See also

References

  1. ^ Real Decreto 1502/1997
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ "Judge targets Princess Cristina in Nóos corruption probe". El Pais. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  4. ^ "La Casa del Rey expresa su "sorpresa" ante el cambio de criterio del juez" (in Spanish). El Periodico de Catalunya. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Spanish princess Infanta Cristina summoned over fraud". BBC News. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Spain's Princess Cristina in court over corruption case". BBC News. 8 February 2014.
  7. ^ BBC News (25 June 2014). "Spain's Princess Cristina to face charges" Retrieved 25 June 2014
  8. ^ "Tax trial confirmed for Spain's Princess Cristina". BBC News. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  9. ^ Reuters (22 December 2014). "Spain's Princess Cristina to Stand Trial on Tax Fraud Charges". New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2014. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ http://ecodiario.eleconomista.es/politica/noticias/5444632/01/14/La-posible-fraude-fiscal-cometido-por-la-infanta-Cristina-antes-de-2007-ha-prescrito.html#.Kku8Vt9FVpMDauZ
  11. ^ Parliamentary question, page=1124
  12. ^ Visita de Estado del Presidente de Austria a España
  13. ^ Foro Dinastías, State visit of Belgium in Spain, 1994,
  14. ^ Hemeroteca ABC
  15. ^ Visita de Estado del Presidente del Ecuador a España
  16. ^ Foro Dinastías, State visit of Egypt in Spain
  17. ^ Visita de Estado del Presidente de Egipto a España
  18. ^ Foro Dinastías
  19. ^ Visita de Estado del Presidente de El Salvador a España
  20. ^ Foro Dinastías, State visit of Stephanopoulos in Spain, 2001, Group Photo
  21. ^ Visita de Estado del Presidente de Grecia a España
  22. ^ "At the Spanish Court" blog, State dinner in the Royal Palace (1st State dinner for Cristina).
  23. ^ "La dimensión europea de la política exterior española hacia América latina". Escrito por José Escribano Úbeda-Portugués
  24. ^ Icelandese Presidency Website , Cristina, de Borbón ; prinsessa ; Spánn ; 1985-09-16 ; Stórkross (= Cristina of Bourbon, Princess, Spain, 16 September 1985, Grand Cross)
  25. ^ Hemeroteca ABC
  26. ^ State visit of Jordan in Spain (1985), Photo of Infanta Cristina wearing the order
  27. ^ Visita Oficial del Rey Hussein de Jordania a España
  28. ^ El Presidente de México de Visita Oficial en España
  29. ^ El Besamanos
  30. ^ Foro Dinastías State visit of Nepal in Spain, 1983
  31. ^ Hemeroteca ABC
  32. ^ Visita de Estado de los Reyes de Noruega a España
  33. ^ Visita de Estado del Presidente de Perú a España
  34. ^ Foro Dinastías, State visit in Thailand,
  35. ^ Visita de Estado de los Reyes de España a Tailandia
  36. ^ "Cadency of the Spanish Royal House" (in Spanish). José Juan Carrión Rangel, Blog de heráldica. Retrieved 29 November 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. ^ Proyecto Galicia : Serie de Heráldica Genealogía y Nobiliaria. T. V (LVIII). La Coruña: Hércules de Ediciones, 2011. ISBN 978-84-92715-31-2. P. 529.
Infanta Cristina of Spain
Born: 13 June 1965
Lines of succession
Preceded by Line of succession to the Spanish Throne
6th position
Succeeded by
Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for  Spain
Seoul 1988
Succeeded by

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