When he received a first-aid kit as a gift for riding a bicycle on his own for the first time as a child, Kubat Saxe-Coburg-Gotha surprised his parents with his choice. Instead of a toy, he asked for a first-aid kit. “It could be said that I felt medicine was my calling from an early age,” he recalled years later.
Today, the third son of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Margarita Gomez-Acebo turns 61. Kubat was born on November 5, 1965, in Madrid, where his family lived following the exile of the Bulgarian royal court.
From Madrid to Medicine
Kubat grew up in the Spanish capital and graduated from the French Lycée. He then chose medicine and moved to Pamplona, where he graduated from the University of Navarra in 1990. He specialized in general and gastrointestinal surgery in Madrid, and later expanded his training with studies at St Mark’s Hospital in London, known for its specialization in proctology.
His professional career took him through Puerta de Hierro Hospital and Ruber Internacional Clinic. From 1997 to 2003, he worked as a surgeon at Ruber, after which he joined the team at San Camilo Hospital in Madrid. Since 2006, he has headed the Department of Surgery and Coloproctology and has been involved in the management of the medical facility.
In an interview with “Ve Vesti,” Kubat described vocation, education, love for the profession and respect for the patient as the essential qualities of a good surgeon. In 2004, he also took part in the advisory board involved in the establishment of Tokuda Hospital in Sofia.
The Family of the Prince of Panagyurishte
Kubat Saxe-Coburg-Gotha married Spaniard Carla Royo-Villanova on July 2, 1993. They have three sons – Mirko, Lucas and Tirso. In 2023, the family marked the 30th anniversary of their wedding with a new religious ceremony.
Mirko and Lucas chose medicine, following in their father’s professional footsteps, while Tirso turned to engineering and telecommunications. Kubat and his wife maintain a close connection with Bulgaria, while he continues to work as a surgeon in Spain.
As the son of the last Bulgarian king, Kubat holds the title Prince of Panagyurishte, but his professional biography was built primarily in hospitals and operating rooms. It was there, far from the ceremonial image of the royal family, that he found the path which, in his own words, he chose with his very first first-aid kit.
Sources: vevesti.bg, revistavanityfair.es, hola.com