It was the birthday of one of Spain's two queens but she wasn't the one getting the superstar treatment. As Queen Letizia turned 53 on September 15 2025, she was nowhere to be seen. But there were plenty of people who wanted to see her mother in law, Queen Sofia, who was given a superstar welcome on her latest appearance.
Sofia, who is now 86, has long been the big draw of Spain's royal family. She's never not been popular and even when her now estranged husband, King Juan Carlos, was the hero of the day, Sofia still got plenty of love. What she's had, as well, is consistency. Juan Carlos now lives in self imposed exile in Abu Dhabi while their son, King Felipe VI, remains liked but has never engendered that deep rooted affection that Spain has for his mother. Over sixty years after she married into the Spanish royal family which, at the time, didn't even exist as an entity in the country itself, Sofia remains its most popular member.
That was clear to see as she headed to Elche in Alicante for the start of the International Congress on Neurodegenerative Diseases which had been organised by her Queen Sofia Foundation in conjunction with the Centre for Research of Neurological Diseases. A big crowd had turned out to see her and they were very happy when she made an appearance. And the reality of why Sofia remains so well liked was soon clear. There's a real warmth about her that indicates a genuine interest in everything going on around her. The Spanish queen looked just as fascinated by the stories told to her by some of those who had come to see her as she did by the complex scientific material being shared by expert researchers into conditions like dementia.
But then Queen Sofia has always looked like she's thrilled to be wherever she is. She may not have been born in Spain but from the moment she arrived, as a princess married into a dynasty that didn't actually have a crown at the time, she has made herself an integral part of the country's life. When the monarchy was restored, on the death of the fascist dictator Francisco Franco, it was Sofia who went about building the framework of a family that was engaged in every part of the every day. And she's never shied away from areas that others might fail in. She was among the first to take a very public interest in Alzheimer's, even when it was something no one really talked about, and her support for food banks has been unwavering.
It's a big reason why she remains so well loved after six and more decades at the front of royal life. Even as her husband plans to release his memoirs, Sofia is still out there smiling and doing the queen thing to perfection. Juan Carlos always called her ''the great professional'' but there surely has to be heart in it to be as good at being a queen as Sofia manages.
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