It’s been a difficult few weeks for the Spanish monarchy, but you’d never know the tension behind the scenes judging by Wednesday’s crowds welcoming King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to the Autonomous Community of Castile and León.
Fans carried a banner reading “Viva El Rey” or “Long live The King” as the King and Queen walked through the streets of the city of Soria, which is celebrating its 900th anniversary. The show of support comes on the heels of recent financial allegations regarding King Felipe’s father, King Juan Carlos, that have raised questions about the future of the monarchy.
Wednesday it was business as usual for King Felipe and Queen Letizia, who visited Soria and Vinuesa for meetings regarding the pandemic’s impact on the region.
They made their first stop in the town of Vinuesa, accompanied by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, to attend a meeting at the Pinares Altos de Vinuesa School of Early Childhood and Primary Education.
During the meeting, educational needs were discussed such as enhancing virtual classrooms and providing teacher and family training in this area. They also touched on fulfilling the objectives of the 2030 Agenda in all of its environmental policies, along with the need for an “expansion of the broadband network throughout the territory to provide quality care in telemedicine, telecare, telework, Big Data or supercomputing actions,” according to Casa Real.
Afterwards, the royal couple walked through the town to greet well-wishers and sat down with a group of elderly residents to hear about their lives in the region.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn the medieval city of Soria, the King and Queen took part in a meeting with representatives from different sectors of the province to learn about their future projects and the current situation in Soria following the pandemic.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia then toured the city centre towards the “Plaza Mayor” to see a 1/500 scale model of the city in honour of its 900th anniversary. Soria, which has a rich architectural history, is home to sights such as the 12th-century ruined monastery of San Juan de Duero and the Museo Numantino which features an impressive archaeological collection. During their visit, Their Majesties discussed the importance of sustainable tourism in the area.
The engagements in Castile and León are part of a larger tour across the country, with the royal couple visiting Autonomous Communities to promote tourism and check in on economic activity following the coronavirus outbreak.
