Iñaki Urdangarín, Duke of Palma de Mallorca
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Don Iñaki Urdangarín, Duke of Palma de Mallorca (born Ignacio Urdangarín Liebaert; 15 January 1968) is the husband of the Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca, the youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain. He is styled as His Excellency The Duke of Palma de Mallorca.
He was born (of Basque and Belgian descent) to Juan María Urdangarín Berriochoa and Claire Liebaert Courtain in Zumarraga, Guipúzcoa, Spain, but has spent almost all his life in Barcelona. At the age of 18, he became a professional team handball player with FC Barcelona, where he remained until his retirement in 2000. He became Spain's most successful handball player, winning more than forty trophies. Meanwhile, he studied at the Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas (ESADE) in Barcelona, from which he received a master's degree in business administration.
As a member of the Spanish handball team, he participated in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Summer Olympics, serving as team captain in 2000. It was at the 1996 games in Atlanta that he met the Infanta Cristina, whom he married in Barcelona on 4 October 1997. They have four children, all born in Barcelona:
- His Excellency Don Juan Valentín de Todos los Santos Urdangarín y de Borbón (born 29 September 1999)
- His Excellency Don Pablo Nicolás Sebastián de Todos los Santos Urdangarín y de Borbón (born 6 December 2000)
- His Excellency Don Miguel de Todos los Santos Urdangarín y de Borbón (born 30 April 2002)
- Her Excellency Doña Irene de Todos los Santos Urdangarín y de Borbón (born 5 June 2005)
They live in Barcelona, where Urdangarín is director of planning and development for Motorpress Ibérica and a founding partner of Noos Consultoría Estratégica.
He has been a member of the Spanish Olympic Committee since 4 April 2001, and was elected first deputy chairman on 16 February 2004.