The great unknown of the Spanish royal family is the one who would have been queen had inheritance been made gender-independent earlier, Elena de Borbón. The first-born child of king-emeritus Juan Carlos I and queen Sofia is no longer a member of the Royal Family, but a member of the family of the king, an important distinction: it means the state's budget no longer grants the infanta a salary. She is still paid, however, for her work for the MAPFRE Foundation, the private charitable foundation set up by the insurance company of the same name.
Pilar Eyre, the best-informed journalist on the subject of the Spanish royals, has revealed in Spanish gossip magazine Lecturas the salaries of Elena and her younger sister, Cristina. Between the two sisters of king Felipe, Elena earns the most, almost twice that of Cristina, who works for a different foundation, La Caixa's. The elder sister earns 300,000€ (£260,000, $370,000) a year and the younger 170,000 (£150,000, $210,000). Two private foundations linked to companies that can fix the compensation for their employees.
GTRES
Elena is used to going unnoticed despite being the only divorced Borbón and having a son who's a magnet for problems. The son in question, Froilán, seems to be heading to substitute Cristina and her husband Urdangarin on the front pages once he's old enough for business. Jaime de Marichalar, meanwhile, seems to have been a lost soul since Elena got fed up of the rumours that he had "special friendships" outside of their marriage. Don Jaime regrets that the divorce meant he lost the bodyguard the Zarzuela palace assigned him.
EFE
Elena is Juan Carlos's favourite daughter, a lover of bullfights and hater of journalists, according to Eyre. She's caused no scandal with new partners or falling in love with someone sentenced for corruption. She's the most Spanish of the family, as revealed by her outfit for the 12th October Dia de la Hispanidad (Day of "Spanishness").
EFE
A large part of the 300 thousand euros she earns go to buying Spanish flags in all forms: glasses, bracelets, scarves, wristband... Not a single euro for the education of her children, Juan Carlos pays for all his grandchildren. Elena can build up a little something for Froilán's future needs, be they for education or for bingo, the favourite game of Felipe's oldest nephew.