What does Claudia González Ortiz, Queen Letizia's most unknown cousin, do?

On May 22, King Felipe VI and Letizia Ortiz will celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary. A "rainy" event with dynastic fights, media "kicks," and for which Doña Letizia's family circle came into the spotlight. That was the case for her cousin Claudia González Ortiz, who was one of the bridesmaids.

The woman is the daughter of Henar Ortiz, Queen Letizia's aunt, lives far from the media noise, and debuted as a model in 2010 in Oviedo, her hometown. But what has happened to Claudia González Ortiz?

Claudia González Ortiz, Queen Letizia's 'secret' cousin

Claudia González Ortiz was born in the late eighties in Oviedo, within one of the most well-known families in the Asturian capital.

Claudia is one of the granddaughters of the famous broadcaster Menchu Álvarez del Valle and the merchant José Luis Ortiz Velasco. Her grandfather worked as a representative for the typewriter company Olivetti.

The couple resided in a house they acquired in Sardeu, a village in the council of Ribadesella. In this home, their two children, Jesús and Henar Ortiz Álvarez, grew up.

While Jesús chose the field of communication, Henar ventured into the decoration sector and, years later, into the children's literary market by publishing "Diminutos cuentos."

Although her professional career is vox populi, the love life of Menchu Álvarez del Valle's daughter is a complete mystery. So much so that the identity of Claudia González Ortiz's father, her only daughter, is unknown.

The young woman's childhood passed quietly in Oviedo although she spent long periods in Sardeu, where her maternal grandparents lived far from the city's noise.

The day Claudia González 'came into the spotlight'

However, her life took a radical turn in 2003. The Royal House announced the engagement between the then prince, Felipe de Borbón, and the journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano. Doña Letizia is one of the three daughters of Jesús Ortiz and, therefore, first cousin of Claudia González Ortiz.

The Ortiz Rocasolano family was about to become related to the Spanish royal family. A circumstance for which Queen Letizia's family circle became a regular target of the national and even international press.

Sardeu was flooded with media outlets crowding the doors of Claudia González Ortiz's maternal grandparents' residence.

At that time, the young woman was a teenager. Although she preferred a discreet background, she could be seen in some of the images captured by the press.

Claudia González Ortiz became a regular figure in the gossip magazines due to her cousin Letizia's relationship with Juan Carlos I's son. In fact, the young woman played a special role in her cousin's wedding.

Henar Ortiz's daughter was one of the bridesmaids. A role she shared with Ana Victoria Codorníu Álvarez de Toledo, a distant cousin of the then Prince of Asturias.

Both wore Goya-inspired designs by the designer Lorenzo Caprile. Claudia and Ana posed in the iconic photograph that the couple took with many of the guests in one of the halls of the Royal Palace of Madrid.

According to the media at the time, Claudia was very alert to the little ones who were part of the wedding procession.

After the wedding celebration, Claudia González distanced herself from the media spotlight. Although she was present at some of the most relevant events for her family, such as the baptisms of Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía.

In February 2007, Claudia received a hard blow with the death of her cousin Érika Ortiz Rocasolano.

From Oviedo to Ecuador: Claudia González Ortiz's professional career

That year Claudia began her university stage, directed toward the field of communication. She started a degree in Journalism at the Complutense University of Madrid, the same institution where her cousin Letizia studied.

She later obtained a degree in social and cultural anthropology from UNED. Then she pursued a Master's in Social Trends Analysis, Consumption, and Communication Strategies at the University of Murcia.

According to her personal profile on the social network LinkedIn, Claudia González Ortiz began her professional career in 2013. At that time she moved to Quito (Ecuador) with her partner.

It was there that Claudia joined the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI). In this organization, she worked until 2014 as a Junior Project Developer. She later worked as a research analyst at the library software development and implementation company Baratz.

In 2017, Queen Letizia's cousin left the Latin country and headed to Vancouver (Canada). There she began working at the communication company Your Virtual Business Manager as an associate consultant.

After leaving the Canadian city, Claudia González Ortiz settled in Denmark. In the Nordic country, she continues her professional career at the technology company YourTribe as a consumer knowledge specialist.

In 2019, she returned to Oviedo, her hometown, to work at the company Global Perspectives, in the Asturias Technology Park. After this work experience, Claudia González Ortiz joined the strategic consulting firm Prescient Healthcare Group until March 2024.

It was then that she began working as a project manager at the international company Clinigma, which offers project management software.

Secrecy and discretion: Claudia González Ortiz's current life

Although Queen Letizia's cousin has chosen to live in anonymity, she has reappeared publicly on some occasions. One of them was in November 2010, when the young woman debuted as a model in the fifth edition of the Best Asturian Fashion Designer contest.

In her debut, Claudia was supported by her mother and grandmother Menchu Álvarez del Valle. They say Claudia was very close to her maternal grandmother. Therefore, the death of the famous broadcaster was a hard blow for her.

In July 2021, the young woman supported her family at Menchu Álvarez del Valle's funeral in Ribadesella. Since then, the young woman prefers to live far from the noise.

However, her name has resurfaced in the national news. Especially after her mother's controversial statements about the monarchy or about the "treatment they received at Felipe and Letizia's wedding."

Several months ago, Henar Ortiz, who resides in the Pontevedra municipality of Catoira, attended her nephew Víctor Elías's wedding with the singer Ana Guerra. However, it is unknown if Claudia González was among the guests.

Currently, Queen Letizia's cousin keeps 'in her place.' According to her LinkedIn page, Claudia resides in Oviedo.She doesn't have open profiles on social media. Henar Ortiz's daughter prefers discretion and secrecy away from 'royal messes.'