Spain's Princess Letizia gives birth
04/30/2007 | 10:45 AM
MADRID, Spain - Spain's Crown Princess Letizia gave birth Sunday to a baby girl named Sofia, her second child with Prince Felipe.
The newborn princess is third in line to the Spanish throne, after her father and elder sister, Princess Leonor, who is 1 1/2 years old.
Letizia gave birth at Madrid's Ruber Internacional hospital, just to the north of the city. She was accompanied by her husband when she entered the hospital Sunday.
The baby weighed 7.3 pounds, said Letizia's gynecologist, Dr. Luis Ignacio Recasens.
Letizia Ortiz, 34, a former television news anchorwoman, became Spain's crown princess in May 2004 when she married Felipe in a glittering royal wedding. She gave birth to Leonor in October 2005.
The Spanish constitution now allows a female heir to the throne only if she has no brothers. Felipe's older sisters, princesses Elena and Cristina, are below him in the line of succession.
The Socialist government is looking into changing the constitution to give female royals the same right as males to accede to the throne, guaranteeing Leonor's eventual ascension. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodrigues Zapatero's government has said, however, there is no urgency to make the change until Felipe becomes king.
The conservative opposition is against the move because some politicians suspect Zapatero may take advantage of such a change to make it look like a referendum on the monarchy.
Spain's royal family has only ceremonial functions, but enjoys wide respect. King Juan Carlos is revered for his role in ushering in democracy after the death of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975 and putting down an attempted coup in 1981. - AP
The newborn princess is third in line to the Spanish throne, after her father and elder sister, Princess Leonor, who is 1 1/2 years old.
Letizia gave birth at Madrid's Ruber Internacional hospital, just to the north of the city. She was accompanied by her husband when she entered the hospital Sunday.
The baby weighed 7.3 pounds, said Letizia's gynecologist, Dr. Luis Ignacio Recasens.
Letizia Ortiz, 34, a former television news anchorwoman, became Spain's crown princess in May 2004 when she married Felipe in a glittering royal wedding. She gave birth to Leonor in October 2005.
The Spanish constitution now allows a female heir to the throne only if she has no brothers. Felipe's older sisters, princesses Elena and Cristina, are below him in the line of succession.
The Socialist government is looking into changing the constitution to give female royals the same right as males to accede to the throne, guaranteeing Leonor's eventual ascension. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodrigues Zapatero's government has said, however, there is no urgency to make the change until Felipe becomes king.
The conservative opposition is against the move because some politicians suspect Zapatero may take advantage of such a change to make it look like a referendum on the monarchy.
Spain's royal family has only ceremonial functions, but enjoys wide respect. King Juan Carlos is revered for his role in ushering in democracy after the death of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975 and putting down an attempted coup in 1981. - AP
