Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma, a cousin of King Felipe VI of Spain, died on Thursday from COVID-19.
The 86-year-old princess is the first royal to die from the coronavirus.
She died in Paris, and a funeral was held in her honor in Madrid on Friday, according to an announcement from Spain’s Prince Sixto Enrique de Bourbon.
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia have both tested negative for COVID-19.
Only two royals have been confirmed to have tested positive for the coronavirus: Prince Charles, Duke of Wales, and Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma, a cousin of Spain’s King Felipe VI, died on Thursday at age 86 after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
She is the first member of a royal family to die from COVID-19.
Prince Sixto Enrique de Bourbon, the brother of Princess Maria Teresa, confirmed the passing of his sister in a public Facebook post on Thursday, which stated a funeral was held in Madrid on Friday. People, Page Six, and the Daily Mail have also reported on the announcement.
“S.A.R. Don Sixto Enrique de Borbón communicates that this Thursday, March 26, 2020, has passed away in Paris, at eighty-six years old, his sister Maria Teresa de Bourbon Parma and Bourbon Busset, victim of coronavirus COVID-19,” a translation of the prince’s announcement reads.
Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma was born in Paris in 1933 and became a professor of Paris-Sorbonne University and Complutense University in Madrid, where she was known for her views in sociology and women’s rights, according to People.
She was a member of the House of Bourbon-Parma, which is known as a cadet branch of the Spanish royal family.
Royals who have publicly confirmed positive tests for the COVID-19 virus include Prince Charles, the 71-year-old heir to the British throne and 62-year-old Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Earlier in March, Spain’s King Felipe VI and his wife, Queen Letizia, both tested negative for the COVID-19 virus. Spain has the world’s fourth-highest COVID-19 caseload at the time of writing, as the country reached 64,059 reported cases and 4,934 deaths as of March 27.
