萊蒂齊亞王后：凱特王妃的時尚“勁敵”

有人說，戴安娜王妃是最后的一個童話主角。這固然與其美貌有關，但更深原因當數其帶有童話色彩的跌宕起伏的一生。她所在的時代，人們還相信童話，盡管她被各種緋聞包圍，但是一場車禍把她定格在了色彩昏黃的不干膠貼畫面里。她身上所帶著的那種鮮明的童話印記在還沒進入日趨碎片化的世界前就被封存在了神臺上，只供后人瞻仰和品評。

但是，我想，這不是戴安娜王妃的本意。她學著“娜拉”出走皇家、離婚就是為了過上屬于平凡人的生活，但是這條路她只開了個頭就香消玉殞，這預示著童話故事難再：那個時代沒有那么多黑童話存在，人們愿意相信也不嘲笑童話的純真。后繼者，無論是劍橋公爵夫人凱特·米德爾頓，丹麥王妃瑪麗·唐納森，還是西班牙王妃萊蒂齊亞·奧爾蒂斯，除了繼承王室一貫推崇的優雅之外，無不都選擇了過接地氣的生活。她們帶著新時代人對生活實實在在的承受能力，不避諱柴米油鹽醬醋茶。這是時代的選擇，她們只不過是在時代的潮流面前做出了最自然的選擇。不管愿意與否，童話會離我們越來越遠，那些“王子”與“公主”成為了異域般的存在，只供我們對那個時代投以敬仰與遠望，不過，我想，這并不完全是一件壞事。

——Mac

Get ready to be upstaged， Kate Middleton： Your royal 1）counterpart from the south is about to become a lot more popular.

King Felipe de Borbon took the throne in June—but many eyes are already turning toward his 41-year-old wife， Letizia Ortiz， who has become the first commoner to grace the Spanish throne.

There’s long been great interest in Queen Letizia， as a former-divorcee-journalistturned-princess， but her new title will shine a brighter spotlight on her life.

While Spanish media has been tracking the royal couple throughout their courtship and 10-year marriage， Felipe and Letizia have been fully 2）catapulted into the public eye now that Juan Carlos has handed over the throne to his son.

The 79-year-old king announced his decision to 3）abdicate earlier that month， stating that “the time has come for a younger generation to take over.”

Perhaps in part due to Ortiz’s feisty attitude and glamorous style， Felipe has seen his popularity 4）skyrocket above that of his father and his sisters.

Similar to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge， Prince William and Kate Middleton， the young couple’s down-toearth and relatable attitudes have altered the way many people see royalty in Spain—a country currently struggling with economic challenges and royal scandals.

Ortiz first turned heads during the couple’s official engagement announcement in 2003， publicly scolding then-Prince Felipe with a “let me finish” as he tried to interrupt her during a media interview.

If that wasn’t enough to separate Letizia from previous royalty， she also has a mortgage on her own apartment in Madrid， took the subway and sat in the stands during sporting events. And she and her husband often walked their two daughters， Leonor， 8， and Sofia， 7， to and from school.

Additionally， the queen’s style and independent attitude are often compared to that of Kate Middleton in the media： they both have long brown hair， a slender figure and a youthful， 5）vibrant face.

On some occasions， they were both seen sporting similar outfits（both are fans of the business suit on official business）. On Ortiz’s wedding day in May 2004， she wore a stylish， long-sleeved， V-neck， high-collar gown. On her head lay a tiara with a long， flowing veil. Sound familiar？ Add a little lace and you have Kate Middleton’s wedding outfit.

Ortiz’s simple yet elegant style has been featured on the cover of numerous Spanish magazines， and entire blogs have been dedicated to her wardrobe. Even though she has been engrossed in the royal lifestyle for a little over a decade now—attending 1，206 official events， held 355 audiences， and taken 73 official trips to visiting countries—her fashion sense remains rooted in her common background. Some of her chic apparel has come from low-cost Spanish retailers such as Zara or Mango. （Royalwatchers in the Commonwealth have also eagerly tracked the clothing choices of the Duchess of Cambridge， 6）applauding her for recycling some styles at official events.）

“（Ortiz） 7）pulls off that trick of being glamorous but recognizable. She doesn’t embarrass herself and looks dignified，” Mary Vincent， a professor of modern European history at Britain’s University of Sheffield， told The Associated Press recently. “She wears clothes other women imagine themselves wearing.”

Ortiz was born in Oviedo， the capital city in northern Spain， to parents Jesus Alvarez， a journalist， and Maria Rodriguez， a nurse. Her grandfather was a taxi-driver.

Ortiz’s ambition soon upstaged her modest upbringing， and she moved to Madrid to study communications and complete her Master’s in broadcast journalism. After a brief stint working in Mexico， Ortiz returned to Spain as a television personality for TVE， Bloomberg Television， and CNN+. She was one of the international reporters working from the ground in New York during the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

She also won the Madrid Press Association’s prestigious Larra Award for the best Spanish journalist under the age of 30. It was at the scene of the Prestige oil spill in Northern Spain where she met then-Prince Felipe. They dated discreetly until their engagement was announced.

The engagement was not scandal-free. She had been previously married， another first for the 8）staunchly conservative and Catholic monarchy. The church decided to allow the divorcee to remarry after considering the 9）brevity of the marriage—she had only been married for a year—and the fact that they weren’t married in a church.

More rumours started to spread after that. A cousin of hers wrote a book about a secret 10）abortion that allegedly occurred in 2002， and gossip would eventually tell a tale of teenage drug use and plastic surgery， although this has been attributed to a 11）respiratory condition.

Despite all of this， Ortiz has been able to stand her ground and manage the responsibilities attributed with the royal title. In addition to being the first commoner to sit on the throne， Ortiz is also the first Spanishborn Queen since 1904.

凱特·米德爾頓，準備好，要被人搶鏡頭了：你那來自南方的王室“勁敵”將要成為比你更奪目的大寵兒。

費利佩六世在六月份登基，但是許多人已經把視線投向他41歲的妻子——萊蒂齊亞·奧爾蒂斯，她成為了西班牙首位平民王后。……