Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s one thing absolutely nobody can deny, it’s that the tale of Francisco Nicolás Gómez Iglesias, nicknamed El pequeño Nicolás (Little Nicholas), is as baffling as it is complex. This much is actually even evidenced in Netflix’s ‘Little Nicholas: Life of a Scoundrel,’ especially as it delved deep into the way he managed to infiltrate the highest levels of Spanish political-economic power while just a teen. Yet for now, if you simply wish to learn more about the one individual to have never doubted or believed in his alleged criminality, his mother María del Carmen Iglesias Catalán, here’s what we know.
Who is María del Carmen Iglesias Catalán?
It was back on April 18, 1994, when María welcomed her one and only son Francisco “Fran” Nicolás Gómez Iglesias into this world with long-time life partner Francisco Gómez Nicolás. The truth is both she and her husband were utterly obsessed with their son not only because of his sheer beauty of black hair and blue eyes but also his cheekiness, which is why they videotaped as much of his childhood as possible. In fact, they even wanted him to have the best possible opportunities for the future, leading them to enroll him into the private St. Francis of Assisi school in El Viso despite hailing from a working-class background.
Though little did María or her husband know that sending their son to such a renowned school while they themselves didn’t have much would soon drive his childhood dream to go from becoming a garbage truck driver to leading a life of pure luxury. “At school, [Nicolás] would say, ‘I’m going to be the Pope when I’m older,'” she candidly revealed in the original production. “I’d go, ‘Oh my’… The nun asked him why and he said, ‘Because he lives in a palace, drives around in armored cars, has bodyguards, drivers, and all he does is [make a cross sign with his hands].’ He thought that was all the Pope had to do.”
It thus comes as no surprise that Nicolás was the one who’d dragged both his parents to the Plaza de Colón (Columbus Square) as soon as he heard of Pope John Paul II’s unfortunate demise on April 2, 2005. María even revealed that she believes her son’s political interest stems from the time when he was ten and essentially begged her “to take him to the People’s Party headquarters to help put voting ballots into envelopes.” After all, that’s when she began noticing a sheer change in his focus, with it going from his studies to social networking, just for him to then establish a career employing the same to raise his standing.
Therefore, of course, with Nicolás serving as a Public Relations Personnel in nightclubs before evolving into a People’s Party-established Foundation for Analysis and Social Studies (FAES Foundation) member, all before the age of 15, María was incredibly proud. In fact, she backed in the documentary that while other teenagers her son’s age were drinking or partying, he was attending business meetings with politicians and rubbing shoulders with the country’s other movers and shakers. She even asserted that her son was indeed invited to King Felipe VI’s crowning — she herself had seen the invitation he’d received from the Royals in his email.
Where is María del Carmen Iglesias Catalán Now?
From what we can tell, even though Nicolás has resided with his grandmother since he was 14, María has unwaveringly stood by him in support at every step of the way in life. She hence continued to do so following his October 2014 arrest as well as his ensuing convictions, and it appears as if she still emotionally aids him as he faces over 12 years behind bars. Coming to her own personal and professional standing, it’s unfortunately unclear what she has been up to these days considering she prefers to lead a quiet, middle-class life well away from the spotlight in her hometown of Madrid, Spaid, yet we do know family was and always will be extremely important to her.
Read More: Where is Jose Manuel Villarejo Now?
