In his controversial memoirs, honorary King Juan Carlos I lifts the veil on one of the most intimate chapters of his youth. Amid political intrigue and affairs of state, he finds room for a nostalgic and romantic recollection of Princess Elena of Orléans, whom he openly calls his first true infatuation. According to him, it was a platonic, secret crush that left such a deep mark on his soul that he decided to name his eldest daughter in her honor. However, Queen Sofía offers a far more prosaic account. She claims that the name Elena, with Greek roots, simply appealed to them both, with no hidden meaning or references to the past behind the choice.
According to Doña Sofía, their choice of name for their firstborn puzzled their relatives, as neither the Spanish nor the Greek royal lineages included any ancestors by that name. The only Elena she could recall from her life was her favorite childhood doll. So whose version is closer to the truth? Did Elena of Orléans really play such a pivotal role in the future monarch’s life?
Princess Hélène was the third of eleven children of Henri, Count of Paris, and Isabelle d’Orléans-Braganza, claimants to the French throne. She was born in Brussels in 1934, four years older than Juan Carlos. She and her siblings were raised in an atmosphere of strict discipline, restraint, and deep respect for tradition. Hélène, noted for her calm and understated beauty, moved in aristocratic circles often frequented by the young Spanish prince.
At that time, the young Juan Carlos, who had just turned 18, was also infatuated with the eccentric Italian Countess Olghina di Robilant, known for her unconventional ways. However, his feelings for Hélène d’Orléans were doomed from the start. The princess was already engaged. In 1957, she married Count Evrard de Limburg Stirum. The wedding ceremony, in keeping with centuries-old traditions of the French royal house, took place in the family chapel in Dreux.
Among the honored guests at the wedding was a very young Juan Carlos, accompanying his parents, the Counts of Barcelona. The event was attended by Queen Frederica of Greece, Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, and other members of the European nobility. The bride wore an exquisite Dior gown of silk brocade and a family diamond tiara. The ceremony was widely covered in the press, as Hélène was the first of her siblings to marry.
After their wedding, the newlyweds lived for several years in Rhodesia, then settled at the family castle of Huldenberg in Belgium. They had four children: Catherine, Thierry, Louis, and Bruno. Widowed in 2001, Elena still lives in her castle today, surrounded by her large family. Interestingly, one of her grandchildren, Louis de Limburg Stirum, is married to the Spaniard Belen López Montero, who remotely manages the family winery in Castilla-La Mancha, maintaining the family’s ties to Spain.
Juan Carlos frequently met the family of the Counts of Paris at various royal events, balls, and weddings. It was at one of these occasions, the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Kent in 1961, that he met his future wife, Sofia. It appears there was never a true romance between him and Elena. Nevertheless, the young prince was so captivated by her beauty and grace that, nearly 70 years later, he decided to share this memory, immortalizing the name of his first love in his own daughter’s name.
