| Birth Name: | María del Amparo Illana Elórtegui[1] |
| Birth Date: | 25 May 1934 |
| Birth Place: | Madrid, Spain |
| Death Place: | Madrid, Spain |
| Resting Place: | Ávila Cathedral, Ávila, Spain |
| Children: | 5, including Adolfo |
Amparo Illana (25 May 1934 – 17 May 2001) was a Spanish noble woman who was the wife of Adolfo Suárez, prime minister of Spain between 1976 and 1981.
Illana was born in Madrid on 25 May 1934 into a family of Basque origin.[2] [3] Her father was a colonel in the army.[4] She studied English in Ireland and French at a boarding school in France.
She met Adolfo Suárez in Ávila during a summer vacation.[3] Suárez was a native of the town. They married there on 15 July 1961.[3] Her family contributed to the political career of Suárez.[4] Illana was close to the Opus Dei, a Catholic group,[5] and her husband was also a member of the group.[6] She was involved in philanthropic activities with a special focus on the Gitanos or Romani people in Spain.[5] She organized a meeting about their problems in Madrid in 1978 in collaboration with the Opus Dei.[5]
Illana had five children with Suárez: María Amparo, Adolfo, Laura, Sonsoles and Javier. Illana was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 and died in Madrid on 17 May 2001.[7] She was buried in Ávila Cathedral, Ávila, on 18 May.[3] Her husband would also be buried there next to her in March 2014.[8]