Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía have carried out a rare series of joint engagements without their parents being present as they traveled to Girona to take part in a meeting with the Princess of Girona Foundation’s team, visit the Foundation’s headquarters, and meet chef Ferrán Adriá and the team from his restaurant ElBulli1846.
The Princess and Infanta’s day began in Girona, where they attended the annual work meeting of the Princess of Girona Foundation, during which they listened to the presentation of a recap of the year’s activities.
They heard details from officials from the three sectors of the Foundation: Purpose, Talent and Teachers; then listened to speeches by award recipients, and finally to the presentation of the Talent Tour, the Foundation’s newest initiative.
The two sisters then moved on to a visit of the Princess of Girona Foundation’s headquarters; interestingly, the Spanish Royal Household reported this activity saying that “the Princess of Asturias and Girona, accompanied by Infanta Sofía, has decided to visit the headquarters of the Foundation”, making it sound like the visit was an express choice of the Princess and was not included in the original draft of the day’s events.
For their last stop of the day, Their Royal Highnesses arrived in Roses, near Girona, where they were welcomed by State and local authorities, before they were introduced to the chef, and Lluís García, the director of ElBulli Foundation, among others.
The visit began with a tour of the ElBulli 1846 Museum, a space that was designed to “promote reflection on knowledge, innovation and the history of the ElBUlli Restaurant”, according to the Spanish Royal Household.
During this event, the two sisters were accompanied by a group of young talents that have been integrated in a program by the Princess of Girona Foundation, in collaboration with the ElBulli Foundation.
This last event ended with a group photograph.
The sisters will continue their full agenda on July 5th 2023, culminating in the evening with the ceremony for the Princess of Girona Awards; before that, among other things, they will attend an artistic performance, before being joined by their parents, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, to attend a meeting with the award recipients and then the ceremony.
This is not the first time that the two sisters have attended events related tp the Princess of Girona Awards, but it is the first time that they have had such a full agenda, most of which will see them work independently of their parents, who will be holding meetings on their own.
This will also likely be one of the last times we will see the two sisters together for a few years. On July 6th 2023, Princess Leonor will attend a ceremony to hand out diplomas to new graduates of the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, a symbol of what’s to come for the heir to the throne: three years of military training, one for each branch of the Armed Forces.
For her part, Infanta Sofía is enrolled at UWC Atlantic, in Wales, to finish her studies, meaning not only that King Felipe and Queen Letizia will be empty nesters, but also that the two sisters will have a lot less time to spend together, which makes these pictures even more precious.
