Perhaps the most unexpected connection has formed between two women who, at first glance, seem to be worlds apart. We’re talking about Isabel Preysler, often dubbed the ‘queen of hearts,’ and Letizia Ortiz, Queen of Spain. This rapprochement took the public by surprise at the end of 2025. Nobody expected Preysler to speak so warmly about the reigning monarch.
This year, no one anticipated further public appearances from Isabel Preysler, especially after her triumphant interview in which she spoke at length about her recently published memoirs. However, some columnists suggest that the ‘queen of hearts’ may have had to relaunch her publicity campaign to boost sales. This fall has seen a surge in autobiographies, making it tough to capture and hold readers’ attention.
In any case, Isabel Preysler was back on every screen, having finally shed her previous aversion to live TV. It was said to stem from her unsuccessful attempts to make it in television during the 1990s. Clearly, she has overcome this barrier and now easily showcases her elegance while promoting her memoirs. It was during this campaign that she sat down with Susanna Griso, host of Espejo Público.
Griso was fortunate to be invited to the famous mansion of Isabel Preysler in the prestigious Puerta de Hierro neighborhood. This gesture once again showed favor toward the TV network where her daughter, Tamara Falcó, works, and toward the journalist who wrote her book. There, the host and the socialite exchanged all kinds of confidences, including some about the royal family—a topic that is close to Susanna Griso both professionally and personally.
It is worth recalling Susanna Griso’s significant ties to the royal family. The Antena 3 morning show host is a close friend of María Zurita, daughter of Infanta Margarita—and thus, the niece of King Juan Carlos and cousin of King Felipe VI. She is also known to have a good relationship with the emeritus king himself, with whom she admits to regularly speaking on the phone.
Given these circumstances, it is only logical that the conversation between Susanna Griso and Isabel Preysler went beyond Mario Vargas Llosa—the socialite’s most recent and controversial love interest, who appears in her memoirs in a less-than-flattering light. Once again, she called him a ‘jealous señor’ and denied some reports about their financial arrangements. ‘It’s not true that he contributed 80,000 euros. He gave what he considered appropriate, nothing more,’ she revealed.
However, it was not the revelations about Vargas Llosa that drew the most attention during this conversation. In one of the living rooms of the Preysler home, with a romantic fireplace and Christmas decorations in the background, the socialite answered questions unrelated to her memoirs. The discussion touched on politics and, of course, the royal family, including Queen Letizia.
When asked about her opinion of Queen Letizia, one might have expected a diplomatic response from Isabel Preysler, who is always elegant both in style and in her remarks. Yet her assessment of the queen was notably warm and complimentary. It’s fair to assume that one ‘queen’s’ admiration for another was quite sincere. ‘The queen fulfills her role wonderfully,’ Isabel Preysler replied when the host asked her thoughts about King Felipe VI’s wife. Unfortunately, the interviewer did not delve deeper into this subject and instead moved straight to a question about King Juan Carlos.
For reference, Isabel Preysler is a Spanish-Filipina socialite and television host. She became widely known in Spain after marrying singer Julio Iglesias. She later married Carlos Falcó, the Marquess of Griñón, and former Finance Minister Miguel Boyer. Thanks to her style, impeccable manners, and connections in high society, the press has called her the ‘queen of gloss’ and the ‘queen of hearts’ for decades. She is the mother of five children, including the famous singer Enrique Iglesias.
