The engagement was a huge surprise. I remember the hysteria unleashed on many Royalty boards and horrible so many people were towards Letizia (and Mary, too). I've liked Letizia from the beginning. She got thrown into the fray and it must have been hard, but she didn't crack (in public, anyway). The wedding was shown on all the Spanish language channels all day long and viewership blew through the roof.

I think her sister Erika's suicide and the way the Ortiz Rocasolanos and the RF came together to support Letizia and her family really changed things. Letizia was pregnant with Sofia at the time, too, and that made the funeral that much more poignant. The photo of Letizia and her sister comforting each other in the back seat of a car while Felipe looked on from the front seat...

Letizia's made some minor missteps,but she kept Felipe and herself out of the financial and legal messes Cristina and Juan created. And she and Felipe have created a strong and loving family All in all, theirs is a marriage that has weathered the storms and emerged stronger as a result (and no leather culottes in sight!).