There are interviews that have the potential to illuminate hidden truths and others, like this one, that reveal to us what we already knew, but with a touch of glitter and varnish, although with more ellipses and cracks than Mick Jagger’s face. The biographer of Don Juan Carlos, Laurence Debray, has had the privilege – or the audacity, depending on how you look at it – to sit down and chat with Infanta Elena for Hello! and remind us that, although it may not seem like it, there are destinies in this world harder than those of mere mortals. They call the interview “Intimate portrait of Infanta Elena on her birthday.”
Doña Elena, who turns 61 this Friday, She is described as a pretty girl, and now, thanks to Debray’s words, we know that that childish attractiveness has evolved into an athlete’s body “that generates envy.” Envy who? To the mythological centaurs, perhaps. It leaves the rest of us wondering if those hours in the stables are simply equestrian training or a secret ritual of eternal youth. All this, of course, while fulfilling a schedule full of philanthropic duties. Because, let’s remember, the princess is not only beautiful: she is also diligent, disciplined and, apparently, impervious to fatigue.
The daily sacrifice of a worker subjected to the labor discipline of the Mapfre Foundation
In the mornings, the infanta gets up, like any worker, and goes to the offices of the Mapfre Foundation, where (they say that for 300,000 euros a year) she dedicates herself to social projects. If anyone was wondering what the working life of an infanta separated from royal duties is like, here we have the answer: manage donations of millions of euros. All of this, of course, from his apartment “in the center of Madrid.” A fact that might seem irrelevant, until we remember that said apartment has almost 500 square meters and is a step away from El Retiro. Some absences are news in this interview disguised as a report because we did not find references to his sister-in-law, Queen Letizia, to her ex husband Jaime de Marichalar, to his daughter Victoria Federica, occasional political propagandist, influencer and television show contestant. Yes it talks about your beloved Froilán, and he also quotes something to his brother Felipe VIhis mother, whom he sees every week in Zarzuela, and his father, whom he will visit on New Year’s because the Mapfre Foundation gives him vacations, since his son is also in that country that treats women so well. At least if your blood is as blue as Elena’s, Mrs. Elena.
“Brutally cut off from her destiny”
Among the most moving moments of the interview, Debray describes how the princess was removed from the official agenda of the Royal House, a decision that she carries with “discretion” and resignation. It was, according to the biographer of the Emeritus (who at the moment does not publish his biography, despite having announced it) as “brutally cutting her off from her destiny.” If anyone had doubts about what true suffering is, there you have it: not an earthquake or a pandemic, but the existential tear of not being in the official gallery on October 12. Of course, the infanta, with the integrity that characterizes her, then decides to mix with the people in the street, among the families of the Civil Guard, demonstrating that, although separated, she is still an infanta of the people… But with an impeccable lineage.
High-flying Christmas
As if this were not enough, we also know that Christmas will not be easy for Doña Elena. His father, the king emeritus, will not be with his people. She confirms it. A “painful void” that, however, as we said, will be filled with strategic displacements: first, he will spend Christmas with his mother in Zarzuela, and then, New Year’s with his father in Abu Dhabi. Because, when it comes to reconciling the royal family, kilometers are not an obstacle and plane tickets are not so expensive. What is a challenge is make the equestrian schedule compatible with regular visits to his mother, whom, as he confesses, he sees every week. All this without losing even an iota of that “discipline inherited from Zarzuela”, where “I don’t feel like it” was not a permitted phrase. Something that probably explains how he endures these sacrifices with an unwavering smile.
If something is clear after reading this interview, it is that Infanta Elena is not only a woman of character, but also a kind of tragic heroine with an almost magical connection with animals. From his Lakeland Terrier to the cats he manages to tame naturally, it seems that his ability to empathize has no limits. Debray assures that Elena can eat a cold dinner without complaining so as not to make the hostess uncomfortable, a gesture of courtesy that is perhaps only surpassed by her ability to send handwritten cards, because, we already know, WhatsApp is too vulgar for someone of her lineage.
And in the end, what we are left with is an image of sacrifice and resilience. Infanta Elena, away from the spotlight but still radiant, dedicated to her commitments with a devotion that can only be explained by a genetic mix of Bourbon discipline and equestrian passion. Whether organizing million-dollar donations from Mapfre or auctioning capons for charitable causes, Doña Elena never loses her air of discreet dignity and her universal sympathy.
This interview disguised as a report reminds us that being an infanta in the 21st century is a cross that not everyone could bear. Because, while the rest of us struggle with our small daily dramas, Elena carries the heavy burden of living between two worlds: the official and the personal, the real and the fictional. But fear not, she is still there, a beacon of light and elegance in a world that does not always live up to her standards. If that doesn’t deserve envy, we don’t know what will. Cheer up dear infanta. You can.
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