The July photos said much more than they seemed to. Irene Urdangarin and Juan Urquijo were photographed walking through Madrid, serious and barely looking at each other. Some media outlets claimed the couple was going strong, but those familiar with the situation were already warning: be careful, they might not make it to September. And so it was.
The exclusive on the breakup came from ¡Hola! magazine, although in reality, the relationship had already ended before the summer holidays. They tried to patch things up, even traveled together to Greece with Infanta Cristina and later crossed paths at a family event, but the decision had already been made. Irene had shared it with her close circle—only the official announcement remained.
The reasons seem clear: distance and youth. She, 20 years old, settled in Oxford to study her passion—hospitality—with a schedule full of new projects; he, in Madrid, never taking the step to visit her university world. What once brought them together—like the time Irene went to Cambodia and the relationship endured—this time worked against them.
Still, the breakup came without drama. Discretion and cordiality are the words used, very much in line with both of their personalities. They remain friends and, in a way, almost family, because the ties between the Urdangarin and Urquijo families don’t vanish just because a relationship ends.
Perhaps the most interesting part is how an image that seemed to tell one story ended up revealing something entirely different. We’ll keep you updated