Queen Letizia: Spain's royal style icon

Spanish Queen Letizia at the opening ceremony of the exhibition 'El Greco and the Modern Painting' in Madrid, Spain on June 23. -- EPA

Spain’s new Queen Letizia is the ideal billboard for her country’s fashion industry.

The recent coronation of Crown Prince Felipe de Borb as the new Spanish king and his wife, Letizia, as queen consort is generally being greeted, anti-monarchists aside, as a new start for Spain; a smart move on the part of Felipe’s father, King Juan Carlos; and the introduction of a new royal “fashion icon” – this last even though the event itself is billed as an austere affair, without the usual pomp and elaborate gowns a coronation implies.