Letizia in leather! Queen of Spain makes the edgy material glamorous

The Queen of Spain is known for her impeccable taste – and the royal has a clever styling trick for adding a tasteful edge to her otherwise prim royal ensembles. 

Letizia, 50, has a great fondness for leather pieces, and has a knack for taking the material from grungy to glamorous, whether it’s a trendy trench or figure-hugging culottes. 

The pieces – many of which Letizia has reworn several times – also range across price points. Some come from high-street retailers like Mango whereas more high-end picks were from Hugo Boss and Emporio Armani.

Here, FEMAIL reveals how leather can become a staple of any elegant wardrobe. 

Trusty and trendy Belstaff leather jacket 

In 2011, the queen wore her Belstaff jacket over a fun, multi-print dress to the ‘Discapnet’ Awards 2011 ceremony at the ONCE in Madrid

 In 2012 she appeared to recreate the same exact ensemble for a meeting. Both times, Letizia donned a Coach handbag to complement the belted and buckled aesthetics of her jacket

She’s known for bringing new life to her clothing items by wearing things more than once, and in the early 2010s Letizia appeared to be fond of a chic leather jacket from British company Belstaff.

It comes with a belt, creating an elegant cinched silhouette reminiscent of a trench coat, perfect for chilly weather in late winter or early spring.

In 2011, the queen wore it over a fun, multi-print dress to the ‘Discapnet’ Awards 2011 ceremony at the ONCE in Madrid – teamed with tights and chunky ankle boots – and in 2012 she appeared to recreate the same exact ensemble for a meeting.

Both times, Letizia donned a Coach handbag to complement the belted and buckled aesthetics of her jacket. 

Brilliant in burgundy 

Letizia donned the daring dress to meet with organisers of 10th Yo Dona International Awards during an audience at La Zarzuela Palace, in Madrid

In 2015, the glamorous Spanish royal went hell for leather in a £528 sleek berry red lambskin leather dress by her favourite designer Hugo Boss.

The style icon has worn the elegant get-up twice before – while on a solo tour of Vienna in October 2014 and back in February 2015 when she attended a meeting of the Royal Council on Disability.

Letizia has donned the daring dress to meet with organisers of 10th Yo Dona International Awards during an audience at La Zarzuela Palace, in Madrid.

The queen’s then-trademark bob was blow dried straight and looked sleek left lose around her shoulders.

She vamped up her day time look even more with smoky eye make-up and a pale pink lipstick. 

Wrapped up in leather 

This stunning wrap-dress is another favourite of Letizia’s, with the queen recycling it a handful of times. She first opted for the statement garment in February 2019 during the opening of the 38th edition of the International Contemporary Art Fair, ARCO Madrid (pictured left and right)

And it would seem she couldn’t stay away from it for too long, as last summer Letizia donned the outfit for the second edition of the Retina ECO Awards in Madrid

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This stunning wrap-dress is another favourite of Letizia’s, with the queen recycling it a handful of times.

In 2021, the Spanish queen made a bold sartorial statement as she stepped out in the eye-catching ensemble.

The royal mother-of-two sported the £298 belted frock from & Other Stories when attending the Famelab 2021 final in Madrid, which is an international scientific talks competition.

She first opted for the statement garment in February 2019 during the opening of the 38th edition of the International Contemporary Art Fair, ARCO Madrid.

And it would seem she couldn’t stay away from it for too long, as last summer Letizia once again donned the outfit for the second edition of the Retina ECO Awards in Madrid.

She paired the dress with black, strappy stiletto sandals and large diamond hooped earrings.

Classy, timeless culottes 

In 2016, she opted to wear them with a white button-up as she accompanied her husband King Felipe to the official opening of the 35th ARCO International Contemporary Art Fair at the Ifema exhibition site in the Spanish capital

In February last year the royal paired them with a red cropped tweed jacket to attend Madrid’s ‘Breaking glass ceilings: The scientific woman, from the laboratory to entrepreneurship’

And in June of that year, the trusty culottes perfectly complemented a vibrant magenta blouse, black stilettos and pink and green earrings

Queen Letizia is a very big fan of her culottes from Uterqüe, having sported the chic design on many occasions.

And it’s no wonder – the high-waisted, zip-up trousers make for the perfect complement to a number of pieces. 

In February last year the royal paired them with a red cropped tweed jacket to attend Madrid’s ‘Breaking glass ceilings: The scientific woman, from the laboratory to entrepreneurship’, by Women and Science group of the Spanish Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SEBBM).

Not one to shy away from bold colours, she paired the trousers with a bright red turtleneck jumper and a similarly eye-catching red leather clutch bag.

In 2016, she opted to wear them with a white button-up as she accompanied her husband King Felipe to the official opening of the 35th ARCO International Contemporary Art Fair at the Ifema exhibition site in the Spanish capital.

Letizia added a pop of colour with a pastel fuschia pink jacket and matching clutch.

The Queen swept her hair back into a practical bun for her tour of the exhibition space at the fair.

And in June of that year, the trusty culottes perfectly complemented a vibrant magenta blouse, black stilettos and pink and green earrings as Letizia and her husband visited the Royal Palace of El Pardo to meet with members of the Boards of Trustees of the Princess of Asturias Foundation – a non-profit private institution which aims to promote scientific, cultural and humanistic values core to the country.

High-street style icon

In 2013, Letizia showed off how to dress up an otherwise casual jeans-and-a-top look with a trendy leather jacket

It would seem the queen has been donning leather jackets as a style staple for more than a decade now. 

And they haven’t always been expensive designer picks. 

In 2013, Letizia showed off how to dress up an otherwise casual jeans-and-a-top look with a trendy leather jacket.

The light brown zip-up from high-street retailer Mango made for the perfect complement to the royal’s ensemble as she visited the then-King Juan Carlos of Spain at La Milagrosa Hospital, after he underwent surgery for a lower back disc hernia.

The jacket’s warm tone matched Letizia’s straight honey tresses, and the rolled up sleeves added a grungy element to an otherwise demure look.

Leather leggings that mean business

Letizia looked effortlessly chic when arriving at the Royal Academy of the Language in Madrid in 2021

There’s nothing quite like a pair of leather leggings to elevate an ensemble. 

And in April 2021, the queen proved she meant business as she arrived at a work meeting in a stylish check coat and a pair of figure-hugging trousers in her favourite material.

Letizia looked effortlessly chic when arriving at the Royal Academy of the Language in Madrid.

The former journalist attended a discussion hosted by the FundeuRAE (Urgent Spanish Foundation), which was founded in February 2005 to help promote the proper use of Spanish in the media.

She stepped out in a monochrome ensemble comprising of Uterqüe nappa leather leggings, a white blouse and this gingham trench coat by MIRTO.

To complete the look, she carried the ‘Marche’ bag by Nina Ricci and opted for Gold & Roses dragonfly stud earrings.

Letizia brough the outfit together with a button down knee-length coat, which is  beautifully tailored with a chic gingham pattern. 

Back in all-black 

The zip-up jacket silhouetted the queen perfectly, including a string belt, as she attended the 63rd International Film Week of Vallodolid

Letizia is not only fond of classic leather jacket designs, but is known to experiment with different styles and fits. 

In 2018, the royal stunned in an all-black ensemble, featuring a gorgeous jacket from Emporio Armani.

The piece came with a subtle scooped collar, opting for a peplum style fit. 

The zip-up garment silhouetted the queen perfectly, including a string belt, as she attended the 63rd International Film Week of Vallodolid.

The ensemble was completed with a pair of flared trousers and minimal jewellery.

Keeping it simple, she kept her makeup to a minimal and wore her hair pinned back with loose waves falling around her face. 

Lady in red 

The Spanish royal dusted off a red leather jacket from Carolina Herrera to attend Madrid’s 11th Forum Against Cancer

The collarless Carolina Herrera tailored leather jacket comes with large buttons on the front. Letizia pictured wearing the item in 2017

In February last year, Queen Letizia worked her magic on jacket she first wore five years ago. 

The Spanish royal dusted off a red leather jacket from Carolina Herrera to attend Madrid’s 11th Forum Against Cancer.

She first donned the jacket in June 2017 during an event with King Felipe VI. 

For the 2022 event, she paired the colourful jacket with a black dress and crimson accessories. 

The collarless Carolina Herrera tailored leather jacket comes with large buttons on the front, but the mother-of-two sported it open. 

She wore it over the knitted black dress, which had a boat neck, with a leather red belt to accentuate her petite waist.

Stylish Letizia matched her other accessories to her jacket, with a pair of red stilettos and a red clutch bag. 

She let the clothes do the talking and scaled her accessories back, with her favourite Karen Hallam ring and a pair of shimmery earrings shared like double daggers by Gold&Roses.

Chic skirt slit 

In 2022, she cut an elegant figure in a recycled fur-trimmed cape from Carolina Herrera, teamed with a blouse and a leather skirt from Boss

Letizia has also enjoyed the fun, feminine and bold looks which can be achieved with a leather skirt. 

Last year, she appeared effortlessly elegant as she attended a meeting in Madrid, donning a glamorous leather midi skirt from Boss.

The mother-of-two was joined by president of the AECC Ramón Reyes, as she met with members of the National Council of the Spanish Association Against Cancer, an organisation which is dedicated to showing the realities of cancer in Spain and contributing to the fight against the disease.

She cut an elegant figure in a recycled fur-trimmed cape from Carolina Herrera, teamed with a blouse.

Letizia completed the look with a Nina Ricci clutch bag and leather pumps from Magrit, which have both been worn for previous engagements. 

The royal brought attention to her eyes with a black eyeliner, while using an eyebrow pencil to thicken her brows and frame her face.

She kept makeup on her skin light by opting for a very subtle highlight and perfectly matched foundation.

Despite her face mask, she looked glamorous with her glossy brunette hair swept back and her signature off-centre parting.

Studs and leather

And two years later, she paired with flared trousers to attended a domestic violence charity meeting in Madrid, adding even more grunge with an animal-print coat

Known for champion native designers, it’s no surprise this edgy, £225 peplum top came from the Spanish brand Uterqüe.

And it’s another one of Letizia’s favourites to rewear, as the Spanish royal has been pictured wearing the statement piece more than once.

In 2016, she opted for the studded number – which cinches at the waist – to attend the Francisco Cerecedo’ journalism award at the Ritz Hotel in Madrid with her husband.

She kept to a dark colour palette, teaming the garment with slim dark trousers and black patent heels.

And two years later, she paired with flared trousers to attended a domestic violence charity meeting in Madrid, adding even more grunge with an animal-print coat.