Tantrums And Tiaras

The reign in Spain is facing its most thunderous forecast yet, as commoner Queen Letizia elbows her mother-in-law, Queen Sofía, aside in an astonishing royal feud pitching the old guard against the new world order. William Langley investigates.

- William Langley

The Zarzuela Palace, an ornate, palm-fringed pile in the hills outside Madrid, is billed as the world’s largest royal residence, but, as things stand, it may not be large enough. Living within it are two queens at war, and the power struggle between them may determine the future of Spain’s embattled monarchy.

In a wing of the main building sits the much loved 79-year-old Queen Sofía, wife of former King Juan Carlos, who abdicated four years ago. Related by blood or marriage to virtually every noble house in Europe, Sofía is devoutly religious and a staunch defender of traditional royal ways.

Down below, in a spacious, terracotta-roofed villa, known as the Prince’s Pavilion, lives her commoner daughter-in-law, Queen Letizia, 45, a vivacious former TV reporter, whose husband, King Felipe VI, took over the throne when his father stepped down.

Letizia has been a divisive figure almost since she arrived on the royal scene 14 years ago. While many Spaniards welcomed her as a breath of fresh air, and admired her smart, energetic style, stories began to circulate – supposedly spread by disenchanted courtiers – of her bossiness, obstinacy and volcanic temper.

Still, there was little to suggest that Sofía was among Letizia’s detractors – until the feud between the pair burst spectacularly into public view.

After an Easter Sunday church service this year on the Mediterranean island of Majorca, Sofía put her arms around her granddaughters, Princess Leonor, 12, and Princess Sofia, 11, to pose for a seemingly innocent photograph. Letizia, the girls’ mother, who had been hovering close by, abruptly stepped in, blocking the shot, and pushing Sofía’s arm off her eldest daughter’s shoulder. An anxious looking King Felipe, 50, then stepped in to calm things down, while Juan Carlos looked on in astonishment.