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TELEVISION presenter Belén Esteban has turned out to be an unexpected admirer of the British Royal family, and says 'if it were not for the pandemic', she would be heading to London to join the crowds bidding farewell to Prince Philip at his funeral.
The Duke of Edinburgh, faithful companion to Queen Elizabeth II for 74 years and married to her for 73, passed away today (Friday) just two months and one day before he would have celebrated his 100th birthday on June 10.
His grandson Harry, Duke of Sussex, has reportedly announced he will be travelling back to the UK for the funeral from the USA, where he lives with his wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.
Harry had been planning on flying to Britain in June for his grandad's 100th birthday, although it is not clear whether Meghan would have done so or whether she will return for the funeral, given that she is pregnant with the couple's second child, who will be a little sister for two-year-old Archie.
Although Prince Philip would have been entitled to a State funeral, being married to a reigning monarch – in fact, the longest-serving and the oldest consort in British history – he had reportedly asked for a 'less ostentatious' ceremony in preference to a 'more military-style' service.
Had it not been for the Covid crisis, it is likely the funeral would still have seen hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world in the crowds, even if they were gathered outside, but burial or cremation services in the UK remain limited to 30 visitors only, not including the vicar or other party conducting the wake.
Madrid-born Belén, 47, a regular on Spanish TV from early adulthood and presenter of some of its most popular prime-time shows, including Gran Hermano (Big Brother) and Supervivientes (Spain's answer to I'm a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here!), said today on her current programme Sálvame that she would have liked to have been in London for Prince Philip's funeral, and it was only the pandemic and number restrictions that had stopped her doing so.
She said she had been a fan of the UK Royal family for some time, a following that had been sparked by her becoming hooked on the globally-famous series The Crown, and that she was 'very upset to hear about' the Duke of Edinburgh's passing.
Belén Esteban is not entirely an unknown quantity in the UK – back in 2009, following her very high-profile cosmetic facial surgery, she was the subject of a headline in The Independent.
The British broadsheet published an article on December 21 that year, Google Insight Trends, analysing the most-searched people worldwide in 2009, and found that Belén's operation and Chris Henry's death had notched up the two highest search engine totals on the planet.
Naturally, as has been the case with numerous European and world Heads of State, Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were among those who had sent messages to Queen Elizabeth II expressing their condolences on the loss of her husband.
The BBC, detailing several of the tributes, describes the one from King Felipe and Queen Letizia as being 'particularly poignant'.
Spain's entire Royal family unit are fluent in English, even the teenage princesses, so their telegram to HRH Elizabeth II was in her native language.
They addressed it to 'Aunt Lilibet', the pet name the Duke used for his wife, sending 'all their love and affection' to her on the loss of 'Dear Uncle Philip'.
“We shall never forget the moments we shared with him and the legacy of service and dedication to the Crown and the United Kingdom by your side,” Spain's monarchs wrote.
The BBC published a photograph of Queen Letizia sitting next to Prince Philip in a carriage during their official visit to London in 2017, when they had the rare privilege of staying with the UK monarchs at Windsor Castle, said to be Queen Elizabeth's favourite of her residences.
Kings, Queens, presidents, prime ministers, and world leaders in general, past and present, have sent messages pouring in to Buckingham Palace – the USA's new president Joe Biden described him as 'a heck of a guy'.
“He was 99 years old, and he never slowed down at all,” said the Democrat leader.
GAINING a foothold on the Forbes list usually means being a billionaire, although another method is becoming one of the most influential Spaniards of the year.