Europe’s royal wedding calendar just got a little busier. Prince Mirko of Panagyurishte, the eldest son of Prince Kubrat of Bulgaria and grandson of Bulgaria’s last Tsar, Simeon II, has announced his engagement to Dr. Marta Embid, the fellow physician he met while completing their medical training in Madrid.
The couple, who have been together since 2023, are set to marry next summer in the Spanish capital, a city that holds special meaning for both of them.
What makes their engagement especially unique isn’t just their royal connection. Unlike many young European royals, Prince Mirko built a career in medicine, and his future wife shares the same profession, making them one of the continent’s few royal couples united by a medical career.
One of Europe’s most unconventional young royals
Although he belongs to Bulgaria’s former royal family, Prince Mirko has largely pursued a life away from official royal duties. Born in Madrid, he studied medicine at the University of Navarra before specialising in general and digestive surgery during his residency at Hospital Clínico San Carlos in Madrid.
It was there that he met Dr. Marta Embid, who trained at the same hospital and specialised in anesthesiology and resuscitation. Their shared commitment to medicine eventually blossomed into a relationship, with the couple beginning to date in 2023.
Medicine runs in the family
© Instagram/ @mirkosajoniaPrince Mirko’s decision to pursue medicine was hardly a coincidence. His father, Prince Kubrat, is a respected surgeon who has practiced in Spain for decades, becoming one of the country’s best-known members of the former Bulgarian royal family.
Mirko has previously spoken about his father’s influence, describing him as one of his greatest role models and crediting him with teaching him the importance of hard work and always caring for family and friends.
Rather than stepping into a traditional royal role, Prince Mirko followed that example, choosing a profession centred on caring for others.
A love story rooted in Madrid
Madrid has shaped nearly every chapter of the couple’s story. Both were born in the city, both trained there as doctors, and it is where their relationship first began.
© Instagram/ @mirkosajoniaThe pair made one of their first high-profile appearances together in April 2024 when they attended the wedding of Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida and Teresa Urquijo alongside Prince Kubrat and Carla Royo-Villanova.
The guest list also included members of Spain’s royal family, including King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofía, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina. Now, the Spanish capital will also host the next chapter of their relationship when they exchange vows next summer.
A new chapter for Bulgaria’s royal family
Prince Mirko is the grandson of Simeon II, Bulgaria’s final Tsar, who later served as the country’s prime minister from 2001 to 2005 after decades in exile. Although Bulgaria’s monarchy was abolished in 1946, the royal family continues to maintain close ties to European royal circles, particularly in Spain, where several family members have built their lives.
For Prince Mirko and Dr. Marta Embid, however, their upcoming wedding is about more than royal tradition. Their story began not at a palace or a state banquet, but in the halls of a Madrid hospital, brought together by a shared passion for medicine long before wedding plans were on the horizon.
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