Cristóbal Colón de Carvajal, 18th Duke of Veragua

Cristóbal Colón de Carvajal y Gorosábel, 18th Duke of Veragua, 17th Duke of la Vega, 19th Marquess of Aguilafuente, 16th Marquess of Jamaica, 20th Admiral of the Ocean Sea, GE, OIC (born October 4, 1949) is a Spanish nobleman, businessman and formerly an officer, helicopter pilot, and commander of a naval vessel in the Spanish Navy. He is a direct descendant of Christopher Columbus by way of Christopher's son, Diego. From Diego, Colón de Carvajal also holds the Duchy of Veragua since 1986. As the Duchy corresponds to the present-day Veraguas Province of the independent republic of Panama, Colón de Carvajal maintains close connections with Panamanian society, and serves on the advisory board of Petaquilla Minerals, a mining company.[1]

Admiral of the Ocean Sea The Most Excellent The Duke of Veragua GE OIC
The Duke of Veragua, 2011
Admiral of the Ocean Sea Admiral of the Indies Adelantado of the Indies
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 February 1986
Monarch	Juan Carlos I Felipe VI of Spain
Prime Minister	Felipe González Jose Maria Aznar José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero Mariano Rajoy Pedro Sánchez
Preceded by	17th Duke of Veragua
Personal details
Born	Cristóbal Colón de Carvajal y Gorosábel (1949-10-04)4 October 1949 Madrid, Spain
Spouse(s)	Isabel Elena Mandalúniz y Castelo d'Ortega
Children	Cristóbal Colón de Carvajal y Mandalúniz Ángel Santiago Colón de Carvajal y Mandalúniz
Parents	Cristóbal Colón de Carvajal, 17th Duke of Veragua Anunciada Gorosábel y Ramírez de Haro
Alma mater	Colegio del Pilar
Profession	Naval officer
Military service
Branch/service	Spanish Navy
Rank	Capitán de Fragata

In 1986, Colón inherited from his father the 17th Duke of Veragua all of his titles after he was murdered by Basque nationalist terrorist group ETA.

In 2011, his additional title as Duke of Vega was among many to be spun away to different recipients, with the new Duke of Vega being Colón's son, Ángel Santiago Colón de Mandalúniz.[2][3]

In 1992, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus' landing on Hispaniola, Colón de Carvajal was co-designated Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade, alongside US Congressman Ben Nighthorse Campbell.