Close-up photo montage of Queen Letizia smiling, with a wide shot of the Zarzuela Palace in the background.

Royal House stops everything and announces Queen Letizia's historic decision: now it's for real

The Royal House has already confirmed the latest decision Queen Letizia has made regarding her team

The communications team at the Royal Household has announced the historic decision made by Queen Letizia. After the resignation of her last Chief of Secretariat, the monarch has already chosen a highly qualified professional.

As has already been confirmed, Marta Carazo has been appointed as the ideal person to replace María Dolores Ocaña. Therefore, she will be the one leading Queen Letizia's Secretariat.

The new anchor of the second edition of TVE’s Telediario, Marta Carazo, poses during a press briefing with media outlets on the news set, on December 20, 2023, in Madrid.
Marta Carazo leaves TVE and becomes Queen Letizia's right-hand woman | Europa Press

Several weeks ago, it came to light that Ocaña had decided to leave her position for personal and family reasons. However, it was not until last Saturday, June 28, that the Royal Household confirmed her departure from the institution.

Without a doubt, Marta Carazo's arrival will bring a significant change to Queen Letizia's team organization. Nevertheless, Felipe VI's wife fully trusts her, since their paths crossed years ago.

Royal household reveals all the details about Marta Carazo, the new chief of secretariat for Queen Letizia

This Friday, June 27, Marta Carazo said goodbye to her audience during the second edition of RTVE's Telediario. The journalist and television presenter informed the news management of her decision to leave the corporation to embark on a new professional project.

However, she will not officially take on her new duties at the Royal Household until next September 1. In fact, María Dolores Ocaña will remain in the position until early August to ensure an orderly transition.

María Dolores Ocaña and Letizia walking together, dressed in dark coats, one of them carrying a black purse and a notebook.
María Dolores Ocaña will remain by Queen Letizia's side until August | Europa Press

Afterwards, Carazo will take the helm of Queen Letizia's Secretariat. Her work includes preparing, executing, and coordinating matters related to the monarch's agenda.

This choice strengthens Marta Carazo's professional and personal closeness with Queen Letizia. Both share a past as employees at TVE, which facilitates their mutual understanding.

Letizia, before becoming Princess of Asturias in 2003, also hosted news programs such as Informe Semanal and Telediario Matinal. However, beyond the professional bond, their friendship dates back to their university years.

Medium shot photo montage of Marta Carazo and Letizia Ortiz, both with smiling faces.
Queen Letizia and Marta Carazo shared a newsroom for four years | Europa Press, en.catalunyadiari.com

Both studied for a degree in Journalism at the Faculty of Information Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid. This academic coincidence laid the foundation for a close relationship that now extends to the institutional sphere.

According to public compensation data for fiscal year 2024, María Dolores Ocaña received €76,919.08 (May–December). Projecting that amount over a full year, her annual salary would have reached €131,861.28.

Therefore, Marta Carazo is expected to receive a very similar figure. However, it will be necessary to wait for the 2025 data to be published to confirm this information.

Marta Carazo, news anchor at RTVE, dressed in a blue jersey with geometric patterns, in front of a blue background in a television studio.
Marta Carazo has been one of the most important faces of the public network | RTVE

The journalist has a solid 25-year career at RTVE. She began her career at Canal 24 Horas in 1999, where she was a news presenter and led programs such as Casa de América and A Fondo. In 2000, Queen Letizia joined, and they shared the newsroom for four years, until she announced her engagement to Felipe VI.

Over the years, Carazo has worked in various news sections within the public network. She worked in areas such as Royal Household and Economy, and between 2018 and 2019 she was head of the economic area. She also served as presenter and co-director of the program Europa 2020, and was deputy editor of Telediario 1.

In January 2024, she returned to Torrespaña as presenter of the second edition of Telediario. This return came after three years as TVE's correspondent in Brussels, where she covered key European political issues.