“I neither define myself nor am I proud. I don’t want to stand out either,” he answers. Íñigo Moreno de Arteagaforcefully, when we ask him to describe himself or tell us what he is proud of at his 90th birthday, which he turned 90 in April. Is Teresa of Bourbon-Two Siciliesto whom he has been married for more than six decades, who ends up doing it: “He is a gentleman, a perfect gentleman.” They both reside on the outskirts of Madrid, on the farm ‘The Song of the Cross’surrounded by oaks and animals: in addition to their dogs, ‘Moca’ and ‘Lis’ —like the flower of the Bourbons—, the 16 horses that currently make up the stud farm of the princess of the Two Sicilies. Some of their purebred Arabians have ended up in the United States, Canada, Australia… Even Princess Alia of Jordan owns one.
© Javier AlonsoOnce inside his house, Íñigo Moreno de Arteaga spends the day between books. Many of them on history – he is an honorary academic of the Royal Academy of History – and hunting. In fact, he has one of the best bookstores in Spain on hunting: “I have three thousand books on Spanish hunting and a thousand or so more on foreign hunting,” explains the aristocrat, who has unique works and the occasional incunabula, such as one from 1498 written by Lucio Marineo Siculus, a Sicilian humanist who was part of the court of Ferdinand the Catholic.
These centenary copies coexist with those that the Marquis of Laserna himself has published. The most recent is Valençay. Princes’ prison 1808-1814about the years in which King Ferdinand VII was in this French castle. “I came across the figure of the Duke of San Carlos and a friend of mine told me that he had seen some volumes of Queen María Luisa in her house,” he tells us. “I went to see them. In the end, They were not letters from María Luisa, Queen of Spain, but from María Luisa, Queen of Eturiaa daughter of his. The most interesting thing was the correspondence of Ferdinand VII and his brothers from Valençay, which is unpublished,” adds the aristocrat, who has instilled his passion for books in all his children. One of them, Beatriz Morenohas a bookbinding company. She is the mother of Teresa Urquijo, wife of the mayor of Madrid, and Juan, partner of Irene Urdangarin.
This is how he speaks of the mayor of Madrid, Teresa Urquijo’s husband: “I met him as my granddaughter’s boyfriend. He is a very plain man. He has entered the house like another grandson.”
—Íñigo, ‘Valençay’ is your last published book, but it’s been almost 30.
—I have written eight about history and about 20 about hunting.
—Which one are you most proud of?
—Feeling proud is saying a lot, but the one I’m most happy about is called Dignity of hunting. It is a very general essay. Also from Spain, milestone by milestone. I wrote this because, as my grandchildren talked to their friends, it seemed to me that these generations have ignorance and even misinformation about the history of Spain.
—Where does this dedication to history come from?
—My mother was very intellectual and wanted to write a biography of the last viceroy of Peru, her ancestor, but he fell ill and died. As a tribute, I wrote it. My doctoral thesis in history was about that, although my working life has been the world of shipping.
© Archive HELLO!
© Archive HELLO!
© Archive HELLO!Review of his life
—Now, that you have just turned 90, do you plan to write about your life?
—About mine? No, no (laughs).
—If you decided, what title would you give?
—Normally, it is titled when the book is finished writing, and my life continues (laughs). But we could put ‘Homeland and family’, for example.
—What is the chapter of your life that you feel most proud of?
—I don’t feel proud, but I do feel satisfied with the History Prize of the Spanish Orders. It is a prize dedicated to the work of a researcher from around the world and is given by the Spanish Orders of the 12th century.
—When I previously chose the possible title of ‘Homeland and Family’, I thought he was going to answer me something about his family.
—The family is very fulfilling. I have eight grandchildren and only one has gotten married. Eight grandchildren from seven children are not many, but, of course, two of my children have died. The great-grandchildren will have to come… We have married a granddaughter… We’ll see with the next ones (laughs).
“The family is very full. I have eight grandchildren and only one has gotten married. Eight grandchildren out of seven children are not many. But, of course, two of my children have died. The great-grandchildren will have to come…”
© Javier Alonso—How do you recover after the loss of two children?
—Very simple: you have to live. We have come to this world to prepare for death. Death is a part of life, a stage of life, and we must accept it as it is.
—But losing two children…
—It’s hard, yes. The first, Fernando, died in a motorcycle accident and it was very unexpected. The other from a brain tumor. It didn’t last long, a few months, but you get used to it, perhaps. I don’t know if I should get used to it, but I should accept it.
—How do you look at 90 years old?
—To be 90, good. If I were 20, I would say terrible (laughs).
—Now, what are you interested in doing?
—Read and write. And I am excited about hunting, although one leg doesn’t work very well due to herpes.
—Well, that has an easy solution.
—At 20 years old, yes, but at 90… They tell me that it may possibly be cured, although I’ve been like this for a year and a half and it has affected the sciatic nerve. Of course, I’m much better. A year ago I was in a wheelchair and now I can do simple hunts.
“How do you recover from the loss of two children? Very simple: you have to live. We have come to this world to prepare for death. It is a part of life, and we have to accept it as it is”
—Of his 90 years, he has shared six decades with his wife.
—We have been married since 1961.
—When you met her, what caught your attention about her?
—Oh, 70 years ago… I don’t know. I don’t even remember the exact moment… I think it was on a hunt. We didn’t get married too young and that made us value ourselves as people.
—What do you admire most about your wife?
—She has made true the norm of Christianity: loving everyone.
—What is your life like in the country?
—This has the advantages of the countryside, but it is not countryside, because it is half an hour from Madrid. Day to day life is very calm. In the morning, I usually write and go research the files. In the afternoon, I write the notes I took in the morning, on paper and in pencil.
—Before, I lived in the center of Madrid, on Alberto Alcocer Street.
—Yes, when we got married. Then, we moved to Joaquín Bau, in the same neighborhood. Then we came here, in 1991. First it was for the children, who were already quite independent. When they are little, they have to hug Cybele. We also came here so my wife could be with her horses.
—She inherited a large stud.
—In the aspect of arabian horsehas been an important personality. He has judged all over the world, traveling from New Zealand to Canada. Every year I went to those exhibitions.
—I understand that he no longer rides.
—My wife is 87 years old.
—Elizabeth II of England was riding a horse months before she died…
—He also drank gin and tonic.
—Very important equestrian events have been held on the farm.
-Yeah. My wife and her daughters have celebrated the complete championship, which has three activities: dressage, the equestrian competition and, the third, a field riding. It was a tour of the entire farm, jumping over fixed obstacles and at a certain speed. Later, exhibitions of their own horses have been held.
© Javier Alonso“For being 90, I feel fine. If I were 20, I would say terrible. My leg doesn’t work well. A year ago I was in a wheelchair, but I can now go hunting”
Teresa Urquijo’s wedding
—They also celebrated their granddaughter’s wedding. How do you remember that day?
-Great. Everything went very well. It didn’t rain, it poured at my wedding. It was very very familiar, despite the circumstances. Weddings should be something familiar.
—And that day King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofía and their daughters came.
—But they are family. Families get together and this was it once again. They have come to this house more times.
—Tell us about your granddaughter Teresita.
—She’s a great girl. Brilliant in his studies and in life. He has been working for two or three years and is even more brilliant.
—What stands out about her?
—It’s the smile made person. He is someone who wins because he is always smiling, and that indicates a good character, of course.
—We know José Luis Martínez-Almeida as mayor of Madrid, what would he say on a personal level?
—As a mayor you already know a lot, huh (laughs). He is a State lawyer, with deep training and a very simple man. He has entered the house like another grandson.
—Did you know him before?
—I knew him as my granddaughter’s boyfriend.
—Were you surprised by the entry of José Luis into your family?
—For a granddaughter to get married? No, nothing surprises me.
—Before you said that you don’t have great-grandchildren, do you soon see that you are going to have one?
—You’ll have to ask them. I don’t tell them anything.
© Javier Alonso—Lately, we have also started to get to know his grandson Juan. What would you highlight about him?
—He is very nice and overwhelming.
—In recent months, your grandson Juan is getting to know Irene Urdangarin. What do you think?
—I see them young. It will be or it will not be… Time will tell. Irene is 19 years old and has a career about to start.
—Did this relationship surprise you?
-No. Both as a girlfriend and starting a career… It is a project for the future. Maybe it will curdle or maybe it won’t… God knows.
—Maybe marry another grandson.
—Yes, but within how much? Five years? I hope other grandchildren get married before.
—What is your relationship with King Juan Carlos, who granted you the title of Marquis of Laserna in 2010?
—I’ve known him since we were kids. It is a very old relationship.
—What was he like as a child?
—Like all children. Well, no. When one has such a great responsibility, it weighs on the person and the personality. But, within that, he is a man of enormous sympathy. It’s just that he radiates sympathy.
—A few days ago, Don Juan Carlos returned to Spain to attend the funeral of a nephew. Do you see it close to living in Spain again?
—Do you see it as close to Sánchez leaving the Government? Answer me that and I’ll answer the other.
—After studying the history of Spain and many kings, what assessment do you make of the reign of Felipe VI?
-Magnificent. Almost as good as his father’s.
