On the personal front, the Infanta Elena was the first member of the Spanish royal family to marry since the restoration of the monarchy—she married Jaime de Marichalar, son of the Count of Ripalda, on March 18, 1995. Then, 12 years later, in 2009, they became the first divorce in the Spanish royal family. The couple had two children, Felipe de Marichalar y Borbón, 28, and Victoria de Marichalar y Borbón, 25, a fashion influencer.
Infanta Elena is now third in line to the throne, surpassed by her nieces: Leonor, Princess of Asturias, 20, and Infanta Sofia, 19. The Princess of Asturias, who is highly popular and universally admired, retains her title as heir presumptive to the Spanish throne: She will not be Spain’s first queen, but she will be the first woman to reign over the Iberian Peninsula in over 200 years (her predecessor, Isabella II, reigned from 1833 to 1868).
The law on succession to the Spanish throne, passed in 1978, has never been revised. Future princesses with a younger brother may once again be barred from ruling. A proposal to change the law would require dissolving both the Senate and Congress, then securing the support of two-thirds of parliamentarians through a vote, and finally, general approval via a referendum—a process that Spanish politicians are not yet inclined to undertake. Until then, the issue will lurk in the shadows.
Aiko of Japan
The Japanese Imperial House Law, enacted in 1947, sets a hard restriction on succession of the Chrysanthemum Throne: “The Imperial Throne of Japan is reserved for legitimate male descendants in the male line of the imperial ancestors.” This exclusion of women—in accordance with the rules of agnatic primogeniture—has brought the Japanese royal family to an impasse: What is to be done if the imperial family has only had one male newborn since 1965?
The Emperor of Japan, Naruhito, 66, has a total of two possible heirs: his brother, Fumihito, 60, and Fumihito’s son—the emperor’s nephew—Hisahito of Akishino, 19. Naruhito’s uncle, Masahito of Hitachi, is third in line, but at 90 years old, he is an unlikely successor. As things stand, the imperial family will continue as long as 19-year-old prince Hisahito, destined for the throne, one day has a son.
The law favors male heirs, but the emperor and empress have none to offer. Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, have only one daughter, Aiko, aged 24, whose birth followed a series of fertility challenges. Masako reportedly suffered numerous miscarriages, which caused her to experience severe bouts of depression.