Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela is the wife of TsarSimeon II of Bulgaria, whom she married after his exile. As such, she is also sometimes styled Tsaritsa Margarita; in this context, she may be styled as Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duchess in Saxony, due to her husband's descent from those former ruling families. During her husband's tenure as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, she was sometimes referred as Margarita Sakskoburggotska. The current Bulgarian government does not recognize the titles in exile of the former Bulgarian royal family.
Early life
Birth
Doña Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela was born on 6 January 1935 in Villa Alba, Collado Villalba, Madrid during the Second Spanish Republic, as the second child and only daughter of the two children of Spanish Nobles: Don Manuel Gómez-Acebo y Modet, 4th Marquess of Cortina, a state counselor and lawyer of commercial and banking companies and his wife Doña Mercedes Cejuela y Fernández.
Childhood
In 1936, at the outset of the Spanish Civil War Margarita's parents Don Manuel and Doña Mercedes as well as her maternal grandmother Mercedes were arrested by the Communists and given a 3-month prison detention; They were executed in November and at their farm "La Arbodela" in Collado Villalba. For the suffering in their homeland Margarita and her elder brother Don José-Luis both received the Suffering for the Motherland Medal by Francoist Spain. After the death of their parents, Margarita and José-Luis continued to live at Villa Alba for some time until they were taken in by their fathers close friend The Marquess of Casa Pissaro until May 1937 where the siblings were to go to Northern Spain, but due to the war, they were forced to follow a route via Valencia to Barcelona and then France to stay with their paternal grandmother Doña Margarita Marta Modet y Almagro until her death in 1940 where they were taken in by their paternal uncle Don Juan Gómez-Acebo y Modet, Marquess of Zurgena and his family until his death, where they moved in with their other paternal uncle Don Jaime Gómez-Acebo y Modet and his wife Doña Isabel Duque de Estrada y Vereterra, 9th Marchioness of Deleitosa as well as their children, including :es:Luis Gómez-Acebo|Don Luis Gómez-Acebo (later husband of Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz, eldest sister of King Juan Carlos I of Spain and aunt of King Felipe VI of Spain.
Residence
Simeon and Margarita currently reside in what was Simeon's boyhood home, Vrana Palace, near Sofia. It was returned to them by the Bulgarian Constitutional Court. The property is operated under an agreement with the Municipality of Sofia, which allows the use of part of the estate as a public park; in return, the remainder and residence have reverted to the ownership of the family. The legality of this transaction is disputed by Bulgarian politicians.
Marriage and family
On 21 January 1962, Doña Margarita married Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the former king of Bulgaria. Simeon and Margarita have five children:
Kardam, Prince of Turnovo ; married Doña Miriam Ungría y López, styled HRH Princess Miriam of Bulgaria. They have two sons: Princes Boris and Beltran.
