| On January 29, 2020, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, Former King Juan Carlos and former Queen Sofia of Spain, Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands, infanta Elena and infanta Cristina of Spain attended the funeral of Infanta Pilar held at Monasterio del El Escoria. Pilar de Borbón was King Juan Carlos' elder sister and passed away on January 8, at the age of 83 in a hospital in Madrid. |
Not an occasion to comment the clothes, but I have to say it: Beatrix, elegant as ever.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless you did comment.
DeleteAVA
Yes I agree with Anon 11:47. I think P. Beatrix looks wonderful here. The hat is a subtle variation on the bumper style that she usually chooses, and it’s very flattering. So are her beautiful pearls! The variegated grey colours add a lovely softness to her black outfit. (V.M.)
ReplyDeleteSincere sympathies to the family. P. Beatrix looked superb, she was very dignified and elegant, as Queen Letizia.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody know why the funeral is so late (3 weeks), is that normal in Spain ? I am also surprised by the special seats for the king & queen.
ReplyDeleteThe real funeral was 3 weeks,ago,in private, she was cremated. This is a State funeral the govermment has set up because she was a Princess,(King's sister) Infanta de España. The King and Queen attended as Head of State, in special seats.
DeleteThe Queen is so beautiful
ReplyDeleteI do not know exactly why the funeral was held that late, but I strongly suspect it is because of major preparations in the crypt and - a spanish peculiarity - the pudridero (a special non-public room where the royal bodies are put into to be kept for 50 years and only after that they will be coffined and transferred to the crypt). There's a special, very large, extremely extend crypt just for Infantes/Infantas. In fact, there are several of them. They do not rest in the same part of the crypt than the Kings and Queens do. Also, the Basilika San Lorenzo dela Victoria en El Escorial is a vast church, with 44 altars in total. The main altar lies very high up, several stairs leading to it. The congregation is quite a bit away from this High Altar. On the stair head, before the last steps up, there's ample space to accommodate the reigning monarch and his (or her) spouse. They will sit much closer to the going-ons than the others further down in the nave. I think, it also has to do with tradition, because El Escorial is the usual resting place for all Spanish royals, first and foremost the Kings and Queens, of course. It seems to be the most traditional way of elevated seating for a royal funeral in this great church and place of old.
ReplyDeleteShe is with her husband in the cementary of La Almudena, as a "normal" person. She did not want to be at the El Escorial. She was cremated.
DeleteDoña Pilar was very common and wanted to rest in peace along with her husband Luis Gómez -Acebo, not at San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The funeral was weeks. ago.
DeleteThank you for your information!
DeleteBy her wish the Infanta Pilar's body was incinerated in a private ceremony and an also private funeral Mass was held on the third day after her demise. This was a public funeral with the presence of foreign guests, member of the spanidh government an the Chief of the State, wich happens to be a nephew of the Infanta.
DeleteLa Infanta fue incinerada al día siguiente de su fallecimiento y sus cenizas descansan junto a su esposo, en el panteón de su familia. No quiso ser enterrada en el Panteón de Infantes, así que no hay pudridero ni nada. Este es un funeral de Estado, celebrado en El Escorial como manda la tradición. Los Reyes están en su lugar, junto al Altar Mayor y bajo las estatuas del Emperador Carlos y su familia (ver foto 9). Si Leonor y Sofía hubieran asistido, estarían frente a sus padres, bajo las estatuas de Felipe II y familia, al otro lado del altar.
DeleteMañana 31 se celebrará otro funeral en la Catedral de la Almudena, para amigos, familiares y público en general.
Royalty fan
DeleteDSC, many thanks for the interesting information.
DSC Thank you for the fascinating information on Spain's royal burial practices. I have a very curious mind, I really enjoyed your reply!
DeleteA sad occasion for the SRF.
ReplyDeleteDSC,
ReplyDeleteMuchas gracias por tu amable y educada educación.
Post a Comment
(We will not publish anonymous comments that were posted without stating a name or nickname)