King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain have arrived in the United Kingdom. Their official State Visit is set to begin tomorrow and will last three days.
In the late afternoon, King Felipe and Queen Letizia departed from the Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport in Madrid. Their Majesties travelled with a delegation of politicians, and this evening the Spanish King and Queen landed at Luton Airport. Upon their arrival, they were greeted on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen by Viscount Brookeborough, Lord-in-Waiting.
Tonight the royal couple will be staying at a hotel in the capital; on the other days of their visit, the King and Queen will be staying at Buckingham Palace. King Felipe and Queen Letizia are in the UK for their State Visit taking place from 12-14 July. The State Visit had to be rescheduled twice due to the political turmoil in Spain last year and the new elections in the UK of last month. Now the UK is fully ready to receive the King and Queen of Spain.
@RoyalFamily/Twitter
The British Royal Family tweeted a picture earlier of the Spanish and Union Jack flags alongside the Mall. The last State Visit from Spain to the UK dates back to 1986 when Felipe’s parents, King Juan Carlos and Queen SofÃa met with Her Majesty The Queen.
Tomorrow, on the first day of their State Visit, Felipe and Letizia will be welcomed by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at their hotel. Then, the royals will travel to the Horse Guards Parade in central London where The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will officially greet their Spanish colleagues. A ceremonial welcome and an inspection of the Guards of Honour will follow. After the formal welcome, Their Majesties and the Duke of Edinburgh will be heading to Buckingham Palace for lunch and to view an exhibition of items from the Royal Collection relating to Spain.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia right before their departure to the UK. © Casa de S.M. el Rey
Next, King Felipe and Queen Letizia will head to Clarence House for tea with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. After the royal welcome, a visit to the British political institutions is planned. In the evening, a State Banquet is scheduled. Although no confirmation has been made, Prince Harry is expected to attend his first ever State Banquet.
More details on the State Visit can be found here.
How does it feel to have real Royals in your tiny islands for the first time in 30+ years?
Don’t answer, I don’t care to know your feelings.
Greetings,
Absolutely fabulous I would think and I am from NEW ZEALAND… heading to SPAIN later this year because to me personally I think King Felipe and Queen Letizia have what it takes, reality, dignity, grace, and a work ethic. So a long standing visit to Spain will be a pleasure on every level. I hope that Spain is very proud of their King and Queen. No doubt others may disagree however I have travelled widely and have found the European Monarchies to be more realistic than the younger generation of the BRF.
The Spainish, Dutch, Danish, Belgian, Swedish and Norweigan Royals are well educated, hit the ground running from day one, the children are not used as PR stunts – so I am looking forward to my lengthy stay in Spain just to really add to my knowledge. I do not think I will be disappointed in any way. Have a good evening.
Educate yourself buffoon.