Queen Margarita of Bulgaria

Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela
Tsaritsa (consort) of Bulgaria
Pretend 21 January 1962 – present
Spouse Simeon II of Bulgaria
Issue Prince Kardam
Prince Kyrill
Prince Kubrat
Prince Konstantin-Assen
Princess Kalina
Father Manuel Gómez-Acebo y Modet
Mother María de las Mercedes Cejuela y Fernández
Born 6 January 1935
Madrid, Spain
Religion Bulgarian Orthodox
(previously Roman Catholic)

Doña Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela, born on 6 January 1935 in Madrid, Spain, is the consort of Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria, whom she married after his exile. As such, she is also sometimes styled Tsaritsa Margarita; in this context, she may be styled as Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duchess in Saxony, due to her husband's descent from those former ruling families. During her husband's tenure as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, she was sometimes referred as Mrs. Margarita Sakskoburggotska. Since Simeon had been exiled as a child and Bulgaria never returned to being a monarchy, Simeon's wife and children never received any royal titles from Bulgaria.

Family background

She is the daughter of Don Manuel Gómez-Acebo y Modet, of the Marquesses de Cortina, and his wife Doña María de las Mercedes Cejuela y Fernández, and paternal granddaughter of the 3rd Marqués of Cortina. Her parents and her maternal grandmother were murdered by the Spanish Republicans in 1936 at the outset of the Spanish Civil War. For that cause she and her only brother José Luis received the Medal of Suffering for the Motherland.

Margarita is a first cousin of the late Luis Gómez-Acebo y Duque de Estrada, Viscount of La Torre (son of the 9th Marchioness and brother of the 10th Marquess of Deleitosa), the husband of Doña Pilar, Infanta of Spain and 1st Duchess of Badajoz. She is styled by courtesy as Her Majesty Margarita, Queen of the Bulgarians.

Residence

The former Tsar and Tsaritsa currently reside in what was Simeon's boyhood home, Vrana Palace, near Sofia. It was returned to them by the Bulgarian Constitutional Court. The property is operated under an agreement with the Municipality of Sofia, which allows the use of part of the estate as a public park; in return, the remainder and residence have reverted to the ownership of the family. The legality of this transaction is disputed by Bulgarian politicians.

Marriage and family

On 21 January 1962, Doña Margarita married Simeon II of Bulgaria, the King of Bulgaria. Simeon and Margarita have five children:

Titles and styles

Styles of
Queen Margarita of the Bulgarians
Reference style Her Majesty
Spoken style Your Majesty
Alternative style Ma'am

Honours

Dynastical honours

Foreign honours

References

External links