Queen Letizia of Spain is said to be worried and hurt about the Easter mass video that has surfaced appearing to show her in a verbal altercation with her mother-in-law, Queen Sofía, as the family was leaving the service.
Letizia was wanting to protect Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía from an “overly intrusive media,” it has been claimed.
The comments were made on Telemadrid’s television programme El círculo on Wednesday by a friend and former co-worker at CNN+ of Letizia’s Imma Aguilar. She told the programme that the Queen is “is worried and desolate” as it has been spread around social media and the Spanish media.
Aguilar added that Her Majesty told her that the incident seen in the video was a “natural gesture” and seemed “silly.”
“I think they are the images of a mother worried about the image of her daughters. I talked to Queen Letizia a while ago, and she is worried and quite desolated by this situation; she is very committed to the care of her daughters, with the protection of her image, she worries who takes photos of them. She worries where they come from, who approaches them … It’s a very motherly reaction,” said Aguilar.
Casa Real has not commented on the video.
Spanish newspaper El Mundo took a poll on Letizia’s comments with most Spaniards not believing her and siding with Queen Sofía. Close to 12,000 people participated with 92% of them sharing their support for King Felipe’s mother.
The short video surfaced on Tuesday showing the Spanish Royal Family leaving the Cathedral-Basilica of Santa María de Palma de Mallorca after Easter mass on Sunday with what appears to be a bit of drama between Queen Letizia and her mother-in-law, Queen Sofía.
The video shows Queen Sofía with her arms around her two granddaughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, smiling at a photographer. Queen Letizia walks in front of the camera a couple of times before appearing to say something to her mother-in-law and separate the girls from her. Princess Leonor seems to brush her grandmother’s hand off of her shoulder, as well.
It is important to note that a more extended version of the video shows Infanta Sofía shaking hands with the public when Queen Sofía grabs her arm to pull her in for the photo.
King Felipe did appear to try to mediate between his mother and wife after the moment that has now been reported on across the globe.
