In a big family reunion, the Spanish royals presided over the traditional Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony, which this year also saw the presence of Hollywood royalty.
And so, under a slight drizzle, King Felipe, Queen Letizia, Queen Sofía, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía arrived at the Campoamor Theatre in Oviedo, the capital of Asturias.
It was a,day full of engagements, as in the morning, the royals had held a reception for award winners, members of the jury and recipients of other prizes and medals that have a commotion to the Princess of Asturias Foundation at the Reconquista Hotel.
The royals arrived at the theatre in the early evening of October 20th and, despite the rain, chose to forego umbrellas; Queen Letizia, a native of Oviedo, even joked around about the rain that was falling.
Princess Leonor selected a pair of earrings with a sentimental value that far exceeds the heavy price to go with her navy blue dress. Bulgari created a pair of aquamarine and diamond earrings for Queen Letizia, who has been wearing them on a few select occasions ever since. They were created specifically for the then-Princess of Asturias to celebrate the birth of her first daughter, Leonor.
King Felipe was also seen sporting a new accessory, although a much less fashionable one. His left wrist and hand were bandaged, as His Majesty is suffering from tendinitis.
Once inside the theatre, Queen Sofía was escorted to her usual seat in the Royal Box, while the King, Queen and their two daughters entered the theatre itself on the ground floor.
After listening to the National Anthem played by gaitas (the local equivalent to bagpipes), King Felipe opened the event, before the laureates made their way to their designated seats on the stage.
Among them were Japanese writer Haruki Murakami and Hollywood superstar Meryl Streep, who was among the laureates selected to offer a few words – her speech was the last one before Princess Leonor and King Felipe.
Ms Streep talked about the role that acting played in her life and the skills it taught her – the constant stretch to try and see the world from another perspective, the ability to not judge the character you are portraying and active listening.
She said: “Empathy may be a radical form of outreach and diplomacy useful in other theatres of endeavour as well. In our increasingly hostile, volatile world, I hope we might take to heat another rule every actor is taught, which is: it is all about listening.”
It was then time for Princess Leonor to speak, and she talked about the inspiration that the laureates give her and members of her generation to selflessly dedicate their lives to serve others, just as she pledged to do two weeks ago when she swore allegiance to the flag in her military academy. She concluded her speech by saying: “I wish to thank all our Laureates, including those who have left us. To thank them for the light they cast on the challenges and complexity of the world in which we live, and for making the Awards that bear my name encourage us to responsibly tread a shared, hopeful path, without eluding the task at hand.”
King Felipe also highlighted how proud he and Queen Letizia are of both of their daughters and talked about the world’s current situation, with the resurgence of conflict both in Europe and in the Middle East: “At the beginning of the 21st century, we all had the hope of living in a more peaceful, more stable, more orderly world. However, much to the regret of us all, this is not the case. This 21st century has brought us the terrible return of war, of armed conflicts in their bleakest, most brutal versions; as well as a sense of vertigo owing to the risk of such conflict spreading.”
After the interpretation of the Asturias Anthem, the laureates made their way out of the theatre, before King Felipe declared the act closed and called for the 2024 Princess of Asturias Awards.
2023 marked the 43rd anniversary of the creation of the Prince of Asturias Foundation; it became the Princess of Asturias Foundation in 2015, following the abdication of King Juan Carlos and Leonor’s subsequent rise to the position of Princess of Asturias.
This year, the prizes went to:
- Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities: Nuccio Ordine; the prize was collected by his sister Maria and his partner Rosalia Broccolo, as Nuccio Ordine passed away on the 10th of June of a cerebrovascular accident – just one month after it was announced that he had received the award.
- Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation: the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, represented by its President Marie-Paule Kieny and Executive Director Luis Pizarro, as well as some regional directors.
- Princess of Asturias Award for Sports: Eliud Kipchoge, the recipient of the most awards in marathon running.
- Princess of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research: Peter Greenberg, Bonnie Bassler. The prize also has a third name, Jeffrey Gordon, who couldn’t make the ceremony because of the sudden passing of his wife Debby, as mentioned by King Felipe in his speech.
- Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences: Helène Carrère d’Encausse; her prize was collected by her son, writer Emmanuel Carrère, as she passed away on the 5th of August. Emmanuel Carrère has a Princess of Asturias award of his own, which he got in the Literature category in 2021.
- Princess of Asturias Award for Concorde: Mary’s Meals, represented by Spanish President Elisabeth Alexandra zu Löwenstein and regional officials from Africa.
- Princess of Asturias Award for Arts: Meryl Streep.
- Princess of Asturias Award for Literature: Haruki Murakami.
