by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014
Infanta Margarita of Spain, Duchess of Soria, 2nd Duchess of Hernani (Margarita María de la Victoria Esperanza Jacoba Felicidad Perpetua y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias) was born in Rome, Italy on March 6, 1939, the third of the four children of Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona and his wife Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Infanta Margarita has been blind since her birth.
Margarita has three siblings:
- Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz (1936 – 2020), married Don Luis Gómez-Acebo y Duque de Estrada, Viscount de la Torre, had four sons and one daughter
- King Juan Carlos of Spain (born 1938), married Princess Sophia of Greece, had two daughters and one son
- Infante Alfonso (1941 – 1956), died in a gun accident in 1956
Because the Spanish monarchy was in exile after the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed and the exile continued after Generalísimo Francisco Franco took power, Margarita spent much of her early life in exile. The family first lived in Cannes, France, and then moved to Rome, Italy. During World War II, the family lived in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 1946, they settled Estoril, Portugal.
On October 12, 1972, Infanta Margarita married Carlos Zurita y Delgado, a medical doctor, at the Church of San Antonio in Estoril, Portugal, and renounced her succession rights. The couple had two children:
- Alfonso Juan Carlos Zurita y de Borbón (born 1973)
- María Sofía Emilia Carmen Zurita y de Borbón (born 1975), single, mother of a son by artificial insemination
In 1979, when Margarita’s cousin, Manfredo de Borbón, 1st Duke of Hernani died, he willed his ducal title to Margarita. King Juan Carlos granted this request and she became 2nd Duchess of Hernani. In 1981, King Juan Carlos granted her a higher dukedom for life and she became Duchess of Soria. Her husband is styled His Excellency The Duke of Soria and Hernani.
Despite her disability, Infanta Margarita is an active woman who loves to be with her family and friends. She is an avid music lover and listens to everything from classical music to heavy metal music. In 1989, with her husband, Infanta Margarita created the Fundación Cultural Duques de Soria (The Duke and Duchess of Soria Cultural Foundation) based in the former Convent of Mercy in Soria, Spain. Margarita is also the honorary president of the Spanish delegation of UNICEF, the Fundación ONCE, the Spanish Heart Foundation, and the Spanish Federation of Hemophilia.
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