The Infanta Cristina turns 61 this Saturday, June 13. And she does so at a moment of life very different from the one she was living exactly a year ago. Back then, Felipe VI’s sister was turning sixty, discreetly blowing out the candles alongside her family at the La Zarzuela Palace, reluctant to reclaim her public profile while her ex, Iñaki Urdangarin, did the opposite.
Now Cristina de Borbón is a new woman with a new life. She has left behind twelve long years in the Swiss city of Geneva and has packed her bags to return to her old life in Barcelona. At the same time, with the echoes of the Nóos case faded and her divorce concluded, her full reintegration into the heart of the Royal Family is closer than ever.
There is a proverb that advises us not to return to the places where we were happy, but Infanta Cristina has ignored traditional wisdom. Upon settling in the Catalan city, where her four children were born, she relives her happiest years with Iñaki Urdangarin. It is also the place where she enjoys attending the Granollers handball matches where her son Pablo plays. And where she often shares the stands with her daughter-in-law, Johanna Zott, with whom she has a special connection.
The Infanta Cristina continues to maintain interests in Geneva, since after working for more than three decades for La Caixa, she now does so at the Aga Khan Development Network, which has its headquarters in the Swiss city. To this, add the frequent trips she makes to Madrid to be near Queen Sofía and to Abu Dhabi, where King Juan Carlos resides.
Infanta Cristina and Her Shared Apartment
To begin her new life in Barcelona, Infanta Cristina has bought and renovated an apartment in the exclusive Pedralbes neighborhood. It is a luxury 300 m2 dwelling located in the same block of buildings where she and Iñaki Urdangarin raised their children before their move to Washington. Before moving in, the daughter of the emeriti personally oversaw the final details of the renovation and decoration.
The Infanta Cristina and her son, Pablo Urdangarin.
From what has been revealed, the sofas and curtains come from her Geneva home, but everything else strongly resembles the family’s former palace in Pedralbes. The nostalgia doesn’t end there, as Infanta Cristina has decided to re-hire the Romanian-origin couple who had already served her when she still lived in the iconic modernist building that the couple bought in 2004 for 5.8 million euros.
We also know that Infanta Cristina does not live alone in this new home. She shares the flat with her son Pablo, who has been living in Barcelona since 2020. Facing the empty-nest syndrome for more than a year, since Irene Urdangarin began her university studies in the United Kingdom, she has now found the best possible companion to keep her company in this newly begun stage of life.
Cristina de Borbón’s Support for Her Parents
As she adapts to this new situation, Infanta Cristina has not ceased to be a fundamental support for the emeriti kings, especially after the death of Irene of Greece. Not to mention, a few days ago we have seen her alongside Queen Sofía and her sister Elena sharing an audience in Madrid with Pope Leo XIV. The two princesses also accompanied their mother during Holy Week, on a journey that took them to Mallorca and Cartagena.
Cristina de Borbón also does not neglect her father, even if that means thousands of kilometers by plane. In addition to traveling frequently to his residence in Abu Dhabi, she also accompanied him to an awards ceremony marking his autobiography that took place at the National Assembly in Paris. All of this, combined with her own schedule, has taken her from the VIP box of Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium to the stands of the Conde de Godó tennis tournament in Barcelona.
