The story of Claudia Echavarría, the Colombian who lived a fairy tale and became the princess of Liechtenstein

Claudia Echavarría is the living example that even dreams that seem like fantasy can come true, because although she was born in Colombia, last weekend she became a European princess. The Cartagena businesswoman is part of that generation of girls who grew up watching the stories of the Disney princesses and who repeated the movie 'The Princess Diary' a thousand times, longing that one day the opportunity to be part of royalty would come into their lives; but she made it happen.

On March 25, after saying 'yes, I do' at the altar to Prince Josef-Emanuel of Liechtenstein, the Colombian officially became the princess of that European country, located between Switzerland and Austria.

The wedding took place in his hometown, Cartagena, in the church of San Pedro Claver, where distinguished members of the festival from Liechtenstein and Luxembourg arrived to congratulate the newlyweds. El Tiempo noted that Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Alois of Liechtenstein and Maria Laura, niece of King Philip of Belgium, could be seen on the site; while Semana magazine added Enrique, the groom's uncle, along with three of his sons, Princes Sebastian, Alexandra and Felix and his wife.

Josef-Emanuel is the third son of Princess Margaret of Luxembourg and Prince Nicholas of Liechtenstein, making him the sixteenth successor to the throne of his family and one of the least known but richest monarchies on that continent, as detailed in the Daily Mail. In addition, he is 32 years old, is an architect and the last member of European royalty to marry.

However, the prince's blood is part of two important royal families, as he is also the grandson of the late Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, as the international media added. He also attended the Royal Military Academy, in Sandhurst, United Kingdom.

For her part, María Claudia Echavarría is the daughter of the entrepreneur Chiqui Echavarría, who created the prestigious events company Casa Chiqui, according to the magazine Hola.

'Clocló', as his relatives call the new princess, was born in Cartagena but he has enjoyed most of his life in Geneva, Miami and Switzerland. And she currently lives in London with her now husband. Her professional life, focused on fashion and lifestyle took place in Bogotá, and her work also led her to co-founder her company Si.Collective and inherit the administration of Casa Chiqui.

Few details are known about the couple, as it seems that both agreed to keep what happens in their relationship private; however, they announced their engagement in July 2021, following the wedding of Princess Theresa of Liechtenstein and Count Cayetane of Toerring-Jettenbach in Austria.

Echavarría is driven by promoting Latin American fashion through her work, but her wedding was no exception. As detailed by Harper's Bazzar fashion outlet, the bride's dress was an original white dress with bodice bodice designed by Esteban Cortázar, a Colombian designer.

Although they pointed out that, within the weddings of the European performance, this has been one of the most “discreet”, the couple stood out because of the special nature of their outfits. They highlighted that the boat neckline with bodice came out of two ties that the bride wore knotted on the shoulders and that sleeves with a lot of volume stood out and, in the same way, they applauded the embroidered skirt with train.

On the jewelry side she wore white pearl earrings and complemented them with an original golden fan. It was surprising that the Cartagena woman did not wear a tiara, as is the tradition among royal weddings.

However, Echavarría is not the first Colombian to become royalty, as in 2013, Tatiana Santo Domingo married Andrea Casiraghi, son Princess Carolina of Monaco and grandson of Prince Raniero III and Grace of Monaco. Coincidentally, the families of Santo Domingo and Echavarría are quite close.

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