It’s Tuesday, December 2, and in Madrid, first thing in the morning, it’s raining like it’s May 22, 2004. Traffic in the heart of the city is heavy as usual, with the water getting worse. If a single drop fell on the capital, it seemed like the whole world would stop. Crossing the city to reach the Royal Palace of Madrid is always worth it, but today it was worth a little more.
A unique – but temporary, exhibition that can be viewed until April – is opening at the Royal Collections Gallery He should For lovers of history, culture and Spanish royalty. It’s about to Victoria Eugeniathe first solo exhibition dedicated to the modernizing role of the monarchy From the wife of Alfonso XIII; To his social work, to his intimate life, and to his exile.
The Kings of Spain came this morning to open it, Felipe VI and Letizia. Although the Queen reaches out to Ina on a range of issues, such as solidarity and her passion for reading, the Head of State does so directly through blood ties: she is not only his paternal great-grandmother, but also his godmother.
Queen Letizia wears a jacket made by APRAMP women.
Getris
In reality, That was the last time Victoria Eugenia de Battenberg set foot in Spain. In February 1968, a week after the birth of Felipe de Borbón y Grecia, the exiled queen obtained permission from Francisco Franco to attend the baptism of her grandson and godchild at the Palace of La Zarzuela.
Upon her arrival in Madrid from Nice, and during her stay in the Leiria Palace, where the Alba family resided, she saw how the Spanish people praised her, and she said a phrase that will always remain in everyone’s memory: “I thought Spain had forgotten me. Now I can die in peaceThree months later, Alfonso XIII’s wife died at her home in Vieille Fontaine, in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Their Majesties the Kings with Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun and Royal Collections Gallery Director Victor Cajun.
Getris
The figure of Victoria Eugenia is clearly visible in the air in the Royal Collections gallery in the presence of Felipe and Letizia. It’s 11am and the cold is unforgiving. On this icy day of the last month of the year, Her Majesty The Queen appeared for the first time in a suit concealing a profound message.
This is two pieces Tweed Black and white with traditional check pattern. The proposal includes a tight-fitting jacket, with a round neck and long sleeves, finished with an almost imperceptible front closure, and a narrow skirt that reaches the knee and repeats the same fabric texture.. This piece comes from the workshop of APRAMP, the Association for the Prevention, Reintegration and Welfare of Prostituted Women.
It is not surprising that he gave this reference to APRAMP, because at the end of the event in the Royal Collections Gallery, Their Majesties the King and Queen attended a meeting with 15 women survivors of human trafficking, at the Rey Juan Carlos University headquarters on Quintana Street in Madrid.. All of these women received gastronomic training at the above-mentioned university in collaboration with APRAMP.
The rest of the look is made up Carolina Herrera coat with a black bag from the same brandlow-heeled Magrit shoes in the same color, diamond and pearl earrings that debuted a little over a year ago and whose designer is unknown, and an inseparable Coreterno ring.
A little history
Victoria Eugenia BattenbergThe granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England, she set foot in Spain for the first time a few months before celebrating her marriage to King Alfonso.
“The couple fell in love from the moment they saw each other“, although in principle she was not the woman chosen for Alfonso
The exhibition about King Juan Carlos I’s grandmother shows that she was a woman ahead of her time, an indefatigable reader, An avid exerciser and smoker, she modernized the court and carried out institutional work for the most needy, strengthening the Spanish health system.With the establishment of the Women’s Nursing Authority.
A huge painting by José Moreno Carbonero from 1912commissioned by Transatlantic to head the honors room of the Queen Victoria mail steamship, opens the exhibition, which concludes with a photograph of the Queen with King Felipe VI in her arms during her baptism.
The exhibition describes the life of Victoria Eugenia (Balmoral, 1887 – Lausanne 1969) through eight different stories. From his childhood in Balmoral, to his arrival in Spain and the difficulties he had to overcome to do so (From his conversion to Catholicism, to e a little Social status despite being the niece of King Henry VII who granted her the title of His Royal Highness) and her role as a mother.
Strong documentary base With letters and postcards from Victoria Eugenia to Alfonso XIIIMagazines and newspapers of the time, such as a newspaper’s poll of its readers as to who would be their favorite queen out of several candidates, from which the winner emerged, or even her children’s exercise books, which she carefully kept, were part of the journey.
around The collection includes 350 pieces, 195 of which have been restoredIncluding the cart, Mahogany car Which she transferred from the Palace of Godoy to Los Jerónimos, on her wedding day, into the riding dress, a lace and silk robe or ermine, which had belonged to Isabel II., and which had been given to her by her husband, with whom she opened the Cortes every year.
Fleur-de-lis tiara, donated by Queen Letizia for the exhibition in honor of Ina.
“He knew the power of his image“The clothes she used, modern and of French influence, accompanied her, and for this reason many painters of her time wanted to depict her, as evidenced by the paintings of Sorolla or Ricardo Canals and one of the most suggestive paintings with bare shoulders by Philip Alexios Laszlo de Lombos,” says Victor Caggiao, Director of the Gallery and Royal Collections.
The gramophone and piano show his love of music, and the various pieces of clothing show his sense of fashion; Decorations and even Promotion MADE FOR A ROYAL WEDDING: There is also a fan with faces, cab and case; In addition to photo albums and books from its library in Spanish, French and English.
The symbolic wreath of the fleur-de-lisThe most important jewelery box – the collection of jewels that Victoria Eugenia left in her will and which were to be used only by the queens of Spain – and which Alfonso XIII had given her on the occasion of her wedding, was donated by Letizia for display.
Despite King Alfonso XIII’s betrayals, he always remained loyal to him and the crown. She was a mother, a “committed mother,” as commissioners point out. She gave birth to seven children (One of them was stillborn): Alfonso, Jaime, Beatriz, Cristina, Juan (father of King Juan Carlos I) and Gonzalo.
One of the major drawbacks of contract marriage is the fact that it can transmit hemophilia. “It is one of the documents that amazed me the most.“, says Reyes Utrera, about the letter sent by the Marquis of Villalubar from London to Queen Cristina, mother of Alfonso XIII.
At that time little was known about the disease, “until 1912 it had no name,” and only vague information was known about its transmission.
to Arancha Domingo was influenced by the correspondence between the couple. The king’s letters to Victoria Eugenia during their engagement have not been preserved, but her letters “give us a very personal picture, her anxieties about the wedding”, her most intimate feelings.
The story of Queen Victoria Eugenie She is portrayed very well in the new Spanish TV series Ena, based on the novel of the same name by journalist and expert on royal houses, Pilar Ayer.