Felipe VI of Spain

Felipe VI (Spanish pronunciation: [feˈlipe ˈseksto]; Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain, reigning since 2014.

Felipe was born in Madrid during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco as the third child and only son of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark (later King and Queen of Spain). He was officially proclaimed Prince of Asturias in 1977, two years after his father became king, and was formally sworn in as heir in 1986. At the age of nine, Felipe was made an honorary officer of the Spanish Army. He was educated at Santa María de los Rosales School in Madrid and attended Lakefield College School in Canada. Later, he studied law at the Autonomous University of Madrid and earned a Master of Science in Foreign Service degree from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., United States.

To prepare for his future military role, Felipe joined the Spanish Army in 1985. Over the next two years, he completed military training in the Spanish Navy and Spanish Air Force. After finishing both civil and military studies, he undertook official duties representing his father at various national and international events, including charity foundations, cultural inaugurations, and diplomatic functions. During one such event, he met television journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, whom he married in 2004. They have two daughters: Leonor and Sofía.

Felipe ascended the throne on 19 June 2014 following the abdication of his father. His reign has been marked by his dissolution of the Spanish Parliament in 2016 (so that new elections could be called), the 2017 Catalan independence referendum and related 2017–2018 Spanish constitutional crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and initiatives promoting greater transparency and modernization within the Spanish monarchy. According to a 2020 opinion poll, Felipe has held moderately high approval ratings.