Her majesty Queen Margarita was born on the 6th January 1935 and is the daughter of Don Manual Gomez-Acebo y Modet, second son of the Marquis of Cortina.
The Queen's background is as tragic as that of her husband. Her father,
a distinguished lawyer and State Councilor, was imprisoned by the Republicans
in Villalba, near Madrid, in August 1936, and was executed without trial
three months later. Her Mother, also of a well known family, was arrested
with her husband and executed a few days after him.
After their home had been confiscated by the Republicans, a friend of her parents sheltered Dona Margarita and her brother in his house. Then, in May 1937, they went to Valencia and Barcelona, and eventually to France. From there they re-entered Northern Spain, which was already on Generalisimo Franco's side, settling in Zarauz with their Grandmother.
In 1940 the children returned to Madrid and went to live with their
Guardian, Don Juan Gomez-Acebo, Marquis of Zurgena. There, together with
her cousins, Dona Margarita started primary school. Upon the Marquis of
Zurgena's death, her uncle, the Marquis of Deleitosa, became her Guardian.
In the autumn of 1950, Dona Margarita went to the Sacred Heart School in
Brussels, where she finished her studies, and two years later (when she
was eighteen) she settled in a house of her own in Madrid.
Eager to increase her knowledge, she went on studying and then, together with friends, took a long trip to the USA, Brazil and the Middle and Far East.
Her Majesty speaks Bulgarian, English, French and Spanish. The first accomplishment often surprises her subjects, who, thinking she may not understand their language, sometimes address her in English or French and are astonished toe receive a fluent answer in their native tongue. The Queen's hobbies are: music, reading, riding and golf. She is slight and dark and is known for her intelligence and kindness.
Since her marriage to King Simeon which took place in Lausanne on the 21st January 1963, and was attended not only by hundreds Bulgarians, but also by foreigners from all over the world, Her Majesty has devoted herself to numerous official duties and is personally in charge of all charities and aid to her husband's countrymen.