Queen Sofia has officially named one of the most important ships in Spain’s fleet as she made a major appearance just as her husband, King Juan Carlos, confirmed he’ll be telling all in a brand new memoir.
Sofia, 86, was in Ferrol in Galicia for the ceremony at which she was accompanied by another controversial figure, Spain’s Prime Minister. Pedro Sanchez has been sharply criticised in recent times and seen his popularity plummet. He’s also been a vocal opponent of King Juan Carlos who now lives in self imposed exile in Abu Dhabi.
None of that appeared to have touched Queen Sofia who was all smiles as she arrived at the Navantia shipyards for the official launch of the F-111 Bonifaz.
The frigate is the first of a series of modern war ships built for the Spanish navy. The programme will see the launch of five frigates which with anti-aircraft and anti-submarine capabilities. They will be used for supporting civilian authorities as well as operations linked to maritime security.
Spain’s royals have shown ongoing support for the country’s naval forces and in the last year, the heir to the throne has been on operations with them. Princess Leonor, 19, spent a year training with the Spanish navy including a six month stint at sea around South and North America.
(Casa de S.M. el Rey)
The princess, who remains popular across Spain, ended her naval training this summer and has just embarked on twelve months formation with Spain’s air forces. This latest stint will bring to an end her overall military preparation – she was just 17 when she began training, spending a year with the Spanish army.
Leonor’s grandmother, Queen Sofia, remains the most popular member of Spain’s royal family and even though she has scaled back her public appearances in recent times, she always attracts large crowds and a lot of support wherever she goes.
She has taken on difficult tasks including supporting food banks. This has been a long standing issue for her and her popularity means that the trickiness of a royal campaigning for others to give food to those in need has been somewhat overcome. Just days before she launched the ship, she was in Ceuta to inaugurate a new food bank facility.
Meanwhile, her son, King Felipe VI, is continuing his public engagements while headlines focus on the contents of a memoir about to be published by King Juan Carlos.
‘Reconciliation’ is his take on his extraordinary life, his reign and involvement in restoring democracy to Spain and his downfall which led to his decision to leave the country he ruled for almost forty years and take up residence in Abu Dhabi.
King Juan Carlos said he had gone against the wishes of his own father, the Count of Barcelona, in writing a memoir. He said his dad, Juan, had told him that kings don’t tell their stories. However, Juan Carlos felt that his life take was being ”taken away” from him and he has said it’s important to him to put his side of the story while he can.
The book will be published by Planeta in early December.
