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Inside Queen Letizia and King Felipe's surprising romance

The Spanish royals have been married since 2004

queen letizia king felipe
Gemma Strong
Online Digital News Director
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Next year, Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain will mark their 20th wedding anniversary.

The couple were married on 2 May 2004 in the Almudena Cathedral at the Royal Palace of Madrid.

Since then, they have gone on to welcome two daughters - daughters Princess Leonor, 17, and Princess Sofia, 15.

Their engagement was announced by the royal household on 1 November 2003 – and it came as a big surprise to many.

queen letizia engagement© Photo: Getty Images

Letizia and Felipe announced their engagement in 2003

The couple had managed to keep their romance out of the spotlight – despite the fact that Letizia was already a household name.

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The future queen had worked for a number of years as a journalist on news channels including 24 Horas, Telediario 2, the most viewed newscast in Spain.

queen letizia journalist© Photo: Getty Images

The future queen worked as a newsreader

In 2000, she reported from Washington DC on the presidential elections; in 2001 she broadcast live from Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks; and in 2003 she filed reports from Iraq following the war.

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Much like Princess Kate, a great deal was made of Letizia's middle-class background and the fact that she was one of just a handful of royals who were well-known prior to her marriage.

queen letizia wedding day© Photo: Getty Images

The couple were married in 2004

Letizia also stood out as a divorcee. In August 1998, she tied the knot with Alonso Guerrero Perez, a writer and high school literature teacher, in a simple civil ceremony after ten years together. It didn't last and just one year later, in 1999, they were divorced.

Others who were married before joining the royal family include Meghan Markle – she tied the knot with Trevor Engelson in 2011 after seven years together, before they separated in July 2013.

queen letizia king felipe daughters© Photo: Getty Images

Felipe and Letizia with their daughters

It's been a big week for the Spanish royals. On 30 January, King Felipe celebrated his 55th birthday – and his family no doubt pulled out all the stops to make it special.

Just a few days earlier, Queen Letizia made headlines when an Iranian ambassador failed to shake her hand. You can watch her reaction in this video...

Felipe is the third child and only son of former King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia and inherited the throne ahead of his two older sister, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina.

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