When King Juan Carlos I entered the cathedral, the anthem of Spain sounded. The bride arrived at 11:12 in the morning to the cathedral in a Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, instead of on foot as planned, due to the persistent, intense rain. Queen Sofía and Prince Felipe, Prince of Asturias.King Juan Carlos I and Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz.Infanta Elena and Jaime de Marichalar, Duchess and Duke of Lugo.

Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarin, Duchess and Duke of Palma of Mallorca.

Infanta Margarita and Carlos Zurita, Duchess and Duke of Soria.

Infante Carlos and Princes Anne, Duke and Duchess of Calabria.

Headed by an officer followed by six halberdiers, it consisted of: It was planned that a wedding procession would accompany the groom to the cathedral, where he would wait for the bride to arrive.Īt 10:42, the royal procession left by the Puerta del Rey of the Royal Palace of Madrid. There was no specific time set for the ceremony, although it was expected to be around 11:00 in the morning. Abaunza, and the Prime Minister of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and his wife, Sonsoles Espinosa.Īfter the dinner was over, the guests returned to the Room of the Austrias, where a dance was held. Īt the table of King Juan Carlos I were Paloma Rocasolano, the mother of the bride Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg, Henri and María Teresa the president of Panama, Mireya Moscoso the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and his daughter, Aliya and the president of Germany, Johannes Rau, and his wife, Christina.Īt the table chaired by Queen Sofia were Jesus Ortiz, the father of the bride the King and Queen of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia the King and Queen of the Belgians, Albert and Paola Nelson Mandela and his wife, Graça Machel, and the president of Portugal, Jorge Sampaio, and his wife, María José Ritta.Īt the table of the Infanta Elena and her husband Jaime de Marichalar were Erika Ortiz, sister of the bride, and her husband, Antonio Vigo Pérez the Prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II the Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Andrew Bertie, and the President of Ecuador, Lucio Gutiérrez, and his wife, Ximena Bohórquez Romero.Īt the table of the Infanta Cristina and her husband Iñaki Urdangarin were Telma Ortiz, sister of the bride the president of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe the President of Nicaragua, Enrique Bolaños, and his wife, Lila T. The dinner was attended by 300 guests.įelipe and Letizia occupied the presidential table, along with Queen Margrethe of Denmark and her husband, Prince Henrik the King and Queen of Norway, Harald and Sonja the President of Ireland and her husband, Mary and Martin McAleese, and the president of El Salvador, Francisco Flores Pérez, and his wife, Lourdes Rodríguez. The Spanish royal family presided at the four main tables. On, a day before the wedding, the royal family held a gala dinner for their guests at the Royal Palace of El Pardo. The official hand petition was made on 6 November 2003 at the El Pardo Palace. She marked the occasion by giving him white gold and sapphire cufflinks and a classic book.

Felipe had proposed with a 16-carat diamond engagement ring with a white gold trim. On 1 November 2003, the Royal Household announced Letizia Ortiz's engagement to Felipe, then Prince of Asturias. The exact date that the courtship began is unknown. It was also the first wedding to be held in the Almeduna Cathedral, which was consecrated in 1993. The wedding was the first state wedding in Spain for more than 50 years, and the first royal wedding in almost a century. More than 1200 guests attended the wedding, including 36 royal houses and heads of state, including Prince Albert of Monaco Charles, Prince of Wales, and the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. The wedding was presided over by the archbishop of Madrid, Antonio María Rouco Varela, and was watched by 25 million people in Spain alone. At the time of the wedding, the groom was the heir to the Spanish throne. The wedding of Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz was held on in the Almudena Cathedral at the Royal Palace of Madrid, Spain.

Remembrance necklace