Margarita Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela (born 6 January 1935) is the wife of Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria, whom she married after his exile. As such, she is also sometimes styled Tsaritsa Margarita; in this context, she may be styled as Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duchess in Saxony, due to her husband's descent from those former ruling families. During her husband's tenure as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, she was sometimes referred as Margarita Sakskoburggotska. The current Bulgarian government does not recognize the titles in exile of the former Bulgarian royal family.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Gómez-Acebo and the second or maternal family name is Cejuela.

Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela
Born	(1935-01-06) 6 January 1935 Madrid, Spain
Spouse	Simeon II ​ ( m. 1962)
Issue	Kardam, Prince of Turnovo Kyril, Prince of Preslav Kubrat, Prince of Panagyurishte Konstantin-Assen, Prince of Vidin Princess Kalina, Countess of Murany
Father	Manuel Gómez-Acebo y Modet, 4th Marquess of Cortina
Mother	María de las Mercedes Cejuela y Fernández
Religion	Bulgarian Orthodox prev. Roman Catholic

Early life

Birth

Doña Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela was born on 6 January 1935 in Villa Alba, Collado Villalba, Madrid during the Second Spanish Republic,[1] as the second child and only daughter of the two children of Spanish Nobles: Don Manuel Gómez-Acebo y Modet, 4th Marquess of Cortina, a state counselor and lawyer of commercial and banking companies (eldest child of Don José Gómez Acebo y Cortina, 3rd Marquess of Cortina and his wife Doña Margarita Marta Modet y Almagro) and his wife Doña Mercedes Cejuela y Fernández (daughter of Don Manuel Cejuela y González-Orduña and his wife Doña Mercedes Fernández Molano).

Childhood

In 1936, at the outset of the Spanish Civil War Margarita's parents Don Manuel and Doña Mercedes as well as her maternal grandmother Mercedes were arrested by the Communists and given a 3-month prison detention;[1] They were executed in November (Don Manuel on the 9th) and (Doña Mercedes and her mother Mercedes on the 16th) at their farm "La Arbodela" in Collado Villalba.[1] For the suffering in their homeland Margarita and her elder brother Don José-Luis (b. 1930 - d. 2010) both received the Suffering for the Motherland Medal by Francoist Spain.

After the death of their parents, Margarita and José-Luis continued to live at Villa Alba for some time until they were taken in by their fathers close friend The Marquess of Casa Pissaro[1] until May 1937 where the siblings were to go to Northern Spain, but due to the war, they were forced to follow a route via Valencia to Barcelona and then France to stay with their paternal grandmother Doña Margarita Marta Modet y Almagro until her death in 1940[1] where they were taken in by their paternal uncle Don Juan Gómez-Acebo y Modet, Marquess of Zurgena and his family until his death,[1] where they moved in with their other paternal uncle Don Jaime Gómez-Acebo y Modet and his wife Doña Isabel Duque de Estrada y Vereterra, 9th Marchioness of Deleitosa[1] as well as their children, including Don Luis Gómez-Acebo (later husband of Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz, eldest sister of King Juan Carlos I of Spain and aunt of King Felipe VI of Spain.

Residence

Simeon and Margarita currently reside in what was Simeon's boyhood home, Vrana Palace, near Sofia. It was returned to them by the Bulgarian Constitutional Court. The property is operated under an agreement with the Municipality of Sofia, which allows the use of part of the estate as a public park; in return, the remainder and residence have reverted to the ownership of the family. The legality of this transaction is disputed by Bulgarian politicians.

Marriage and family

On 21 January 1962, Doña Margarita married Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the former king of Bulgaria. Simeon and Margarita have five children:

• Kardam, Prince of Turnovo (1962–2015); married Doña Miriam Ungría y López, styled HRH Princess Miriam of Bulgaria. They have two sons: Princes Boris and Beltran.
• Kyril, Prince of Preslav (born 1964); married Doña María del Rosario Nadal y Fuster de Puigdórfila, styled HRH Princess Rosario of Bulgaria. They have two daughters, Princesses Mafalda and Olimpia, and one son, Prince Tassilo.
• Kubrat, Prince of Panagiurishte (born 1965). Married Doña Carla María de la Soledad Royo-Villanova y Urrestarazu, styled HRH Princess Carla of Bulgaria, and have three sons, Princes Mirko, Lukás, and Tirso.
• Konstantin-Assen, Prince of Vidin (born 1967). Married Doña María García de la Rasilla y Gortázar[2], styled HRH Princess Maria of Bulgaria, and have twins, Prince Umberto and Princess Sofia.
• Princess Kalina of Bulgaria, Countess of Murany[3] (born 1972). Married Don Antonio José "Kitín" Muñoz y Valcárcel, and has a son, Simeon Hassan.

Honours and awards

National

•  Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit[4]
•  Spain: Recipient of the Suffering for the Motherland Medal[5][6]

Dynastic

• House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of St Alexander[5][7]
• House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Civil Merit[5]

Foreign

• Greek Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Beneficence[8]
•  Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Dame Grand Cross Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 3rd First Class[9][10][11]
•  Sweden: Recipient of the 70th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf

Patronages

National

•  Bulgaria: Patron of the Bulgarian EuroChild Club[12]
•  Bulgaria: Patron of the 'For Life' Cancer Charity[13]

Foreign

•  Germany: Patron of the Business Women's Society BWS[14]
•   Switzerland: Patron of the International Women's Club IWC[14]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Margarita Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

8. José Gómez-Acebo y de la Torre 4. José Gómez Acebo y Cortina, 3rd Marquess of Cortina 9. N. Cortina y Vázquez 2. Manuel Gómez-Acebo y Modet 10. Juan Bautista Modet y Eguía 5. Margarita Marta Modet y Almagro 11. María Felicidad de Almagro y de la Vega 1. Queen Margarita 12. Joaquín Cejuela de la Riva 6. Manuel Cejuela y González-Orduña 13. Carolina González-Orduña y Merry 3. Mercedes Cejuela y Fernández 14. Secundino Fernández 7. Mercedes Fernández Molano 15. Luisa Molano y Martínez de Tejada

References

1. Kingsimeon.bg, page information of Queen Margarita
2. EL REY SIMEÓN DE BULGARIA Y SU HIJO EL PRÍNCIPE KONSTANTIN, DE BODA EN MADRID, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2018 (in Spanish)
3. Un Destino Singular. Por Siméon II de Bulgaria
4. Real Decreto 712/2003. Boletín Oficial del Estado núm. 138, de 10 de junio de 2003, páginas 22429.
5. http://www.kingsimeon.bg/en/, Margarita wearing her decorations
6. Photographic image. Getty Images.
7. Photographic image. Getty Images.
8. "DINASTÍAS - Los Foros de la Realeza • Ver Tema - Gala prewedding Constantino II y Ana María de Grecia".
9. "The Royal family attended the reception on the occasion of the Day of St. John the Baptist, patron of the Order of Malta". King Simeon's official website. 24 June 2011.
10. "The Majesties attended the celebrations of the 900th anniversary of the Sovereign Order of Malta". King Simeon's official website. 10 February 2013.
11. Margarita Gómez-Acebo and her son Kubrat, members of the Order of Malta Archived 2012-03-11 at the Wayback Machine – Spanish News website Que.es (in Spanish)
12. "Their Majesties hosted the 10th anniversary of the Eurobaby Club - H.R.H. King Simeon II".
13. "Queen Margarita supported a charity initiative for fighting breast cancer - H.R.H. King Simeon II".
14. Kingsimeon.bg, Article explains Queen Margarita's Women Patronage