King Felipe held a meeting at Zarzuela Palace this week with top defense officials on the migrant crisis in Ceuta, a way for the Crown to maintain its focus on the issue as criticism falls on the government’s response.

The meeting included Defense Minister Margarita Robles, considered a hawk within Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s administration on the subject.

The King is supposed to visit Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, in the near future, but the exact date of the trip remains unknown.

Still, the Royal Household has been working to make sure how His Majesty views the issue. During a day on nationwide protests reaffirming Spanish sovereignty against claims from Morocco, Zarzuela Palace posted a picture of a Ceuta flag in one its audience rooms.

Even though Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa have been Spanish cities for hundreds of years, Morocco claims them as its own. Ceuta is particularly important, located across from Gibraltar at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea.

Leonor, the Princess of Asturias, completed her first day of classes Monday at Carlos III University in Madrid after years of deferring studies for military training. The heir to the Spanish throne will study political science.

The Royal Household has told media outlets that Her Royal Highness will be treated like any other student. Of course, plain clothed bodyguards will be nearby, and she had to contend with cameras during her first day. She will also juggle classes with royal engagements when possible.

Spanish media outlets and commentators expressed shock Monday — and royalists anger — after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez appeared to attack King Felipe over the Ceuta migrant crisis.

Government opponents have been questioning the prime minister’s response to thousands of migrants flooding into Ceuta, one of Spain’s enclaves in North Africa.

During an interview, Sánchez pointed to the King not having visited Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish city in North Africa. The comments were puzzling because royal visits to the enclaves are sensitive matters. They anger Morocco’s king and that’s something the prime minister is trying not to do as a way of securing collaboration in preventing more crossings.

Also, royal visits are coordinated with the government, and there have been questions as to whether it’s the Royal Household or Sánchez who has blocked or delayed a trip by King Felipe.

The Spanish prime minister and the King met for three hours after the interview aired, media outlets reported, in what was said to be a routine gathering.

The Spanish Royal Household did not post pictures of this week’s meeting between King Felipe and Sánchez. His Majesty earlier this summer met with Ceuta’s president at Marivent Palace, also in Mallorca, in an effort to show his concern about the migrant crisis.

Members of the Spanish Royal Family have traditionally spent some time in Mallorca during the summer. They stay at Marivent Palace and conduct protocolary business at Almudaina.

King Felipe met late last week with Juan Jesús Vivas Lara, president of the Autonomous City of Ceuta, which saw thousands of Moroccan migrants break into the North African enclave in recent weeks.

Even though many of them have gone back, the situation remains a political crisis in Spain. King Felipe has spoken about the gravity of the situation.

The King met with Ceuta’s president at Marivent Palace in Palma de Mallorca. The King would like to visit Ceuta, but royal visits there are politically sensitive because Morocco claims the city, which — like Melilla — have been part of Spain for hundreds of years.

King Felipe over the weekend issued a statement expressing “worry and indignation” after 50,000 migrants from Morocco crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.

Border tensions between Moroccan and Spanish territories in North African are nothing new, but the flood of people alarmed Spaniards and European allies. The migrants eventually returned to Morocco.

His Majesty, who has spoken about immigration issues before, said the state should prevent incidents like these from happening again and mourned the loss of life.

King Felipe has been working from Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, where the Spanish royals spend at least part of the summer. He stays at Marivent Palace in the outskirts of Palma and holds meetings at Almudaina Palace downtown.

Morocco claims the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta in North Africa and the issue contributes to tensions between both nations.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia have been working to address wildfires that have broken out around Spain, including around the Madrid capital.

Their Majesties this weekend met with emergency workers and visited a Madrid area shelter that was housing people displaced by the blazes.

King Felipe also met with emergency workers in the Balearic Islands last week during a stay in Mallorca, where the Royal Family usually spends time during the summer.

Media outlets reported that King Juan Carlos — who has been living abroad — was in Mallorca in recent days and dined with Queen Sofia and their daughters, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina, at Marivent Palace. It was described as a surprise development.

The Spanish Royal Family went all out to support and celebrate the Spanish team during the World Cup final outside New York City last weekend.

King Felipe, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia were at the stadium when Spain won the men’s tournament for the second time.

The King and Queen and their daughters took separate jets to New York for security reasons. Leonor, the Princess of Asturias, is heir to the throne.

The royals flew to Madrid soon after the game and welcomed the winning team at Zarzuela Palace the following day.

Even though Spain’s King Felipe visits Latin American countries routinely, his trip to Mexico last week was a watershed moment in relations between the two nations.

It all started when former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, leader of a populist movement, asked the King to apologize for Spain’s conquest of the Americas. His Majesty forwarded the letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Spain did not apologize.

Then when current Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in, she left King Felipe off the invitation list for the ceremonies.

That’s why their meeting in Mexico City last week ahead of his attendance at a World Cup game was so important. It looks like both sides have decided to move on.

Although Spain didn’t apologize, the Spanish government worked with Mexico earlier this year on an exhibition on indigenous women. The King attended and spoke about abuses during the conquest.

King Felipe could attend another World Cup game this year, particularly if Spain makes it to the final.

Members of the Spanish Royal Family have expressed solidarity and vowed support for the people of Venezuela following last week’s eartquakes.

The Queen Sofia Foundation, led by King Felipe’s mother, pledged an initial €20,000 along with medicine and other aid to the Latin American country, according to media reports.

Queen Letizia spoke with media outlets in person following the initial quakes, promising Spanish government assistance. King Felipe was on the way to Mexico at the time.

The Spanish Royal Household also wrote on social media, “All our support to the Venezuelan people in the face of the tragedy caused by the two earthquakes that have affected the country.

“We want to convey our solidarity, our affection, and our strength to all the injured and the communities that have suffered this disaster. We share in the grief of the families of the victims.”

The Spanish Royal Family has given Pope Leo XIV a grand welcome as he begins a week-long visit to the country, which has long been associated with the Catholic Church.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia welcomed the pontiff at the Madrid airport’s Terminal of State, which members of the Royal Family use for official travel.

They then had a formal welcoming ceremony at the Madrid Royal Palace, with participation from Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia.

On Saturday, Pope Leo gave a mass to a large crowd in downtown Madrid. Members of the Royal Family were on stage. Also, the king’s sisters — Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina — were in the audience with some of their children.

Protocol dictates that Queen Letizia, a Catholic queen, can wear white when meeting the Pope. Other women must wear black.