Infanta Margarita in Madrid hospital with infection, daughter says she is responding well

Hospital admission

Infanta Margarita de Borbón, 87, has been in hospital in Madrid for several days with an infection. Spanish outlets including La Razón and EL PAÍS report that she is in the intensive care unit of the Gregorio Marañón hospital. The family has not issued an official statement on the cause of her admission, and no further medical details have been confirmed.

Update from her daughter

María Zurita, 51, visited her mother on Sunday, 15 November, and spoke briefly to reporters outside the hospital. She said the infanta is reacting well to the medication and that her recovery will be slow, but that there is no cause for alarm. Asked whether her mother could be discharged soon, she said the family did not yet know.

“She is reacting well to the medication.”

Zurita described her mother as weak and said the family was keeping a close watch on her progress. She also praised the Spanish public health system, saying it was excellent. Asked about her mother's difficulty speaking, she explained that years earlier the infanta had surgery on her vocal cords, which did not achieve the expected result.

“We have a spectacular public health system.”

Conflicting reports on her condition

The weekly magazine ¡Hola! reported that the infection is receding and that the infanta has shown a small improvement. Its report also said her family was impressed by the strength the duchess of Soria was showing. Notícias ao Minuto, by contrast, reported that her condition had not yet shown any favorable development, although it said her condition was not considered serious.

On the television programme Fiesta, broadcast by Telecinco, collaborator María Eugenia Yagüe said the infanta was 'regular' and 'delicate overall', while adding that she was perfectly stable. Another collaborator, Alejandro Entrambasaguas, said her condition was evolving favorably. These comments were not official medical statements.

Background

Infanta Margarita is the only surviving sister of Juan Carlos, since the death of Infanta Pilar in January 2020. ABC Tu Diario reported that she was previously admitted with pneumonia, spending ten days in intensive care before being discharged on 28 October. It said she then needed home oxygen and other care during her convalescence. The family has been asked for an official update, but none had been issued by the time of the reports.