One week after the Thanksgiving Service at Westminster Abbey in memory of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Letizia has met with the Prince of Wales for a joint engagement.
The two royals visited Bishop Auckland in Durham County to tour an exhibition about Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán and open the Spanish Gallery of Auckland Castle.
Arriving a few minutes before the Queen, the Prince of Wales came to Bishop Auckland from Darlington, also in Durham County, where he met with farmers and enjoyed a cup of tea.
Queen Letizia reached the castle in an Audi A6 with the plate SPA IN, a homage to her country. She was welcomed by Prince Charles, who kissed both of her cheeks and her right hand, as well as a cheering crowd of locals waving both British and Spanish flags.
The first of the two engagements that the royals jointly undertook was a tour of the exhibition “Zurbarán: The twelve tribes of Israel: Jacob and his children.” The collection is permanent in Auckland Castle and was started because of Mr Jonathan Ruffer, who donated £15 million to the Church of England to prevent Zurbarán’s paintings already residing in the castle to be sold.
The thirteen paintings represent Jacob and his twelve children and are impressive even for their size. They were purchased in the 18th century by Richard Trevor, Prince Bishop of Auckland, and have sat in the grand dining room at Auckland Castle ever since.
The second engagement was the opening of the Spanish Gallery of Auckland Castle, which will serve as a tourist attraction, but, most importantly, as “a source of academic study about the pictorial past of the Spanish Golden Century,” according to Casa Real.
The Gallery opens its tour with Zurbarán’s “Benjamin,” the only one of the thirteen portraits that Bishop Trevor did not purchase from the original collection, and continues with paintings from renowned Spanish artists like El Greco and Velazquez.
The Auckland Project was started by Mr Ruffer, a lawyer from London who acquired the property of the castle in 2012 and has since been intent on making the castle a point of pride to boost tourism in the region.
Both the Prince of Wales and Queen Letizia have long made public their interest in art and culture, and this engagement seemed the perfect opportunity for the two royals to reunite in their efforts to promote cultural sharing.
