Barbara Miklič Türk

Miklič was born in 1948 in Ljubljana, Socialist Republic of Slovenia (now the capital of the Republic of Slovenia). Her father was a miner and geophysical engineer, and her mother was a microbiologist.[1] During her teenage years, she lived with her family in Sudan, and went to a Catholic school there.[1] In 1975, she met Danilo Türk whilst working as a librarian at the United Nations.[1] The couple married a year later, and have a daughter, Helen.[1]

In 2006, Barbara's husband Danilo became the third President of the Republic of Slovenia, and as such, Barbara Miklič Türk became the First Lady.[1][2][3] Speaking in 2010, Miklič Türk said that the role was less well-defined than the First Lady of the United States, and mostly consisted of accompanying her husband on state business.[3]

In 2008, Miklič Türk attended the first state visit of Queen Elizabeth II since Slovenia's independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. During the visit, she spoke with them about non-governmental organisations.[3][4] In 2010, Miklič Türk hosted a conference for Finnish volunteer organisations in the fields of health and social care.[5] In 2011, she attended the opening of the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík, Iceland.[6] During a state visit from the Emir of Qatar, Miklič Türk prepared a visit for the First Lady of Qatar to the University of Ljubljana to meet the rector and discuss inter-nation co-operation.[3]