Camilo Villarino

Camilo Villarino Marzo (Zaragoza, 11 April 1964) is a Spanish diplomat and jurist who serves as Private Secretary to the King since 19 February 2024.

Biography

Villarino was born on 11 April 1964 in Zaragoza. He graduated in law from the University of Zaragoza in 1987 and he later achieved a master's degree on European Studies from the College of Europe. After this, he joined the Diplomatic School in 1989. Likewise, between 2007 and 2008 he took a High Level course on European Defense Policy at the European Security and Defence College.

One of his first assignments was at the International Legal Advisory Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, serving as advisor between 1990 and 1993. Briefly, in 1993 he was adviser to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Between 1994 and 2002 he was assigned abroad, occupying various positions in the Spanish diplomatic missions in Croatia and before the European Union.

Back in Spain, between 2002 and 2008 he was Deputy Director-General of Institutional Affairs for the European Union at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for the technical team in charge of the negotiations of the new Treaties of the European Union.

Between 2008 and 2013 he held the position of counselor for Transatlantic relations and security and defense affairs at the Spanish Embassy in the United States and, between 2013 and 2017, he was deputy to the ambassador of Spain to Morocco.

In June 2017, the conservative foreign minister Alfonso Dastis appointed him as his chief of staff, a position he held with two of his successors, the socialists Josep Borrell and Arancha González Laya. He resigned in mid-2021 after the appointment of a new minister José Manuel Albares, who chose to appoint diplomat Diego Martínez Belío in his place.

Before his dismissal, González Laya had proposed him as ambassador to Russia, even asking for the approval of the Russian Government, but his successor, minister Albares, withdrew this proposal. This controversial change of opinion had nothing to do, according to the minister, with the fact that Villarino was then accused of the so-called "Gali Case", for illegally allowing the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, to enter Spain. According to his testimony in court, he managed the entry by following the orders of González Laya. He was finally acquitted in March 2022.

After this, he joined the European External Action Service and, shortly after, at the end of 2022 he was appointed as Head of the Cabinet of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.

At the end of January 2024, the Royal Household made public that Villarino would replace Jaime Alfonsín as Head of the Household of His Majesty the King. His appointment was made official on February 19 of that year.

He is an officer in the Voluntary Reserve of the Army, with the rank of captain.

Personal life

Villarino is married to the skier Susana de Funes Casellas, with whom he has three daughters: María, Marta and Inés. They live in the Madrid municipality of Majadahonda.

Honours

* Silver Cross of the Order of Merit of the Civil Guard (2015).
* Cross of the Order of Civil Merit (2017).
* Commander by Number of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (2019).
* Military Merit Medal, with white badge (2021).
* Medal of the V Centenary of Saint Barbara.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villarino, Camilo
People from Zaragoza
1964 births
Living people
21st-century Spanish diplomats
University of Zaragoza alumni