⭐ ⚡️ Una storia d'amore reale: vent'anni di matrimonio per il duca e la duchessa di Calabria

Il Duca e la Duchessa di Calabria al Palazzo Reale di Madrid, 2019. Fotografia (c) Bekia.

Oggi il Principe Pedro e la Principessa Sofía di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, Duca e Duchessa di Calabria, festeggiano il loro ventesimo anniversario!

Doña Sofía arriva alle nozze con suo padre Don José Manuel Landaluce.

Alle nozze arriva il Duca di Noto.

Il 30 marzo 2001, il principe Pedro, duca di Noto, e Doña Sofía Landaluce y Melgarejo si sono sposati nella cappella del Real Club Puerto de Hierro a Madrid. La cerimonia religiosa è stata officiata da padre Marco Álvarez de Toledo y Marone, nipote dell'Infanta Cristina di Spagna. Don José Manuel Landaluce ha fatto da padrino alla coppia; La principessa Anna, duchessa di Calabria, ha fatto da madrina. Al matrimonio hanno partecipato, tra gli altri, il Principe delle Asturie (ora re Filippo VI di Spagna), l'Infanta Elena e suo marito Don Jaime, e l'Infanta Margarita e suo marito, il dottor Carlos Zurita.

Pedro e Sofia.

Born in 1968, Prince Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Noto, was the only son of Infante Carlos of Spain, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and his wife Princess Anne d’Orléans. Pedro’s paternal grandparents were Infante Alfonso of Spain, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and his wife Princess Alicia of Bourbon-Parma. Pedro’s maternal grandparents were Prince Henri d’Orléans, Count of Paris, and his wife Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Bragança. Born in 1973, Doña Sofía Landaluce y Melgarejo was the daughter of Don José Manuel Landaluce y Dominguez and his wife Doña Blanca Melgarejo y Gonzales. Sofía’s paternal grandparents were Don Francisco Landaluce y Asensio and Doña Manuela Dominguez. Sofía’s maternal grandparents were Don Carlos Melgarejo y Tordesillas (a son of the 5th Duke de San Fernando de Quiroga) and Doña Emilia Gonzáles y Gonzáles de Jonte. The marriage of the Duke of Noto and Doña Sofía Landaluce y Melgarejo was the crowning of a loving relationship of almost ten years, which had began in 1991. Pedro and Sofía had known one another since they were teenagers. A strong bond formed between them formed: their romance commenced when Pedro was twenty-three and Sofía was eighteen. In 1993, the couple welcomed the arrival of their first child, a son: Jaime (now Duke of Noto). Pedro’s father Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria, hoped for a royal bride for his only son and heir; therefore, paternal and dynastic approval for the couple to marry was not immediately forthcoming.

Pedro and Sofía with their son Jaime.

Despite the lack of approval, Pedro and Sofía maintained their relationship. Sofía focused on raising their son Jaime, and Pedro regularly spent time with his beloved and their child. Over the years, Sofía won over her eventual father-in-law Carlos. The dedication of Pedro and Sofía to one another and their child, as well as their desire to be married, was ultimately victorious. Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria, served as one of the witnesses to the couple when they married in 2001.

The Duke and Duchess of Calabria with their children, 2015.

After their marriage, the Duke and Duchess of Noto had a further six children: Prince Juan (b.2003), Prince Pablo (b.2004), Prince Pedro (b.2007), Princess Sofia (b.2008), Princess Blanca (b.2011), and Princess Maria (b.2015). Although the children of the Notos were initially not considered to be dynasts, the Duke of Calabria decided after 2004 that the children of his son and daughter-in-law should, in fact (and rightfully so), be styled as Royal Highnesses and Prince(ss) of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

The Duke and Duchess of Calabria arrive at the funeral of Infanta Alicia, 2017. Photograph (c) Getty Images/Europa Press Entertainment.

Nel 2015, il padre di Pedro, Infante Carlos, è morto. Il principe Pedro succedette come capo della Real Casa di Borbone-Due Sicilie; lui e sua moglie Sofia divennero Duca e Duchessa di Calabria. Nel 2020, la coppia ha annunciato il fidanzamento del figlio maggiore, il principe Jaime, duca di Noto, con Lady Charlotte Lindesay-Bethune. Il matrimonio era originariamente previsto per l'estate 2021; tuttavia, a causa della pandemia globale di coronavirus, il matrimonio ha dovuto essere ritardato.