King Felipe this week opened the judicial year at the Palace of Justice in Madrid, headquarters for the Spanish Supreme Court.
The event, while routine, was notable because Spanish prosecutors and the judicial branch are pursuing Catalan separatists.
And His Majesty opened the judicial year ahead of the so-called Diada, Catalonia’s national day.
The King is scheduled to visit Catalonia next week, part of his continued effort to be present in the region.
Leonor, the Princess of Asturias, marked another milestone as heir to the Spanish throne this weekend.
Her Royal Highness, along with her parents, attended a series of ceremonies in the historic community of Covadonga, Asturias.
The royals celebrated the founding of the old Kingdom of Asturias and the anniversary of the canonical coronation of the Virgin of Covadonga.
The royals also visited a national park in Asturias.
Even though Princess Leonor did not deliver remarks, the trip was billed as part of her journey toward representing the Royal Family and eventually becoming queen.
Recently King Felipe inducted her into the Order of the Golden Fleece. She also has her own standard.
Asturias is often called the birthplace of modern Spain. Christian rulers in the area launched the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from Islamic rule.
Members of the Spanish Royal Family have retaken their official agenda after the August vacation.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia have held several audiences and a trip to an agricultural fair in Salamanca.
Members of the family had a public vacation in Mallorca, followed by more private rest later in the month.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia on Friday attended ceremonies to honor the victims of last year’s terror attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, both in the autonomous community of Catalonia.
The King and Queen attended with other leaders of the central and regional government.
The monarch’s attendance was controversial because pro-independence politicians wanted to keep him out.
Most leaders eventually put differences aside, but separatists put up billboards against the King overnight.
The crowd included unionists who cheered the King and the Constitution.
Members of the Spanish Royal Family have been extremely visible during their vacations in Mallorca.
The goal is to defuse all the talk of controversy surrounding King Juan Carlos, and also move past the recent public tension between Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia.
Earlier this week, King Felipe and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez met at Marivent Palace in Palma de Mallorca, and later Queen Letizia and Sánchez’s wife María Begoña joined in for lunch.
The King also participated in the King’s Cup Regatta and awards ceremony, and held an evening gathering for local leaders at Almudaina Palace with Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia.
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Earlier this month, King Felipe, Queen Letizia and their daughters — Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia — posed for pictures at Almudaina Palace and greeted reporters.
Queen Sofia, Queen Letizia, the princess and the infanta visited walked around a market.
More family members, including Infanta Elena and Princess Irene, Queen Sofia’s sister, joined the royals for a concert.
Members of the Royal Family and other close relatives also had dinner out together, as has become tradition.
King Juan Carlos, meanwhile, remains away from official activities. He missed the inauguration of Colombia’s new president because of health reasons, outlets reported.
Members of the Spanish Royal Family and the King’s broader family are vacationing in Mallorca as is customary.
But King Juan Carlos is absent. The Royal Household blames a minor health issue. But media outlets point to leaked recordings from Don Juan Carlos’ former friend, alleging potential financial irregularities.
Not only has King Felipe’s father stayed away from the summer spotlight, he recently scrapped plans to participate in a regatta in Galicia, according to media outlets.
King Felipe, who received Balearic Island leaders at Almudaina Palace in the heart of Palma de Mallorca, touched on the issue.
Don Felipe said his father was not in great shape and wanted to sail this month.
Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia were seen strolling with Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia.
Back in Madrid, the Supreme Court and parliament are both looking at the recordings. There does seem to be an effort to keep King Juan Carlos away from any further embarassment if possible.
King Felipe met late last week with French President Emmanual Macron at the Royal Palace in Madrid.
The French leader was in the Spanish capital to also meet with new Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to discuss, among other things, EU immigration policy.
His Majesty this month also met with Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno, whose trip to Europe has sparked debate about the fate of Wikileaks leader Julian Assange, who has been holed up at Ecuador’s British embassy for years.
The King had an audience with the new head of Spain’s conservative Popular Party, Pablo Casado, also in recent days.
The full agenda preceded vacation season in Spain. Members of the Royal Family will spent at least some time at Marivent Palace in Mallorca.
However, scandal surrounding King Juan Carlos and a former friend, has upended plans for a unified getaway.
The Royal Household is blaming a minor health problem for King Felipe’s father staying away from Mallorca and planned sailing.
The Spanish Royal Household released the first images earlier this month of King Felipe meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in the monarch’s office.
As Spanish media outlets often do, they talked to experts to figure out hidden meanings.
For one, the King and the prime minister appear to have a good and comfortable relationship, one expert said.
Some media outlets also noticed an absence of pictures of the King’s parents — King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.
Perhaps, they thought, the Royal Household wanted to distance the King from his father’s ongoing controversies.
The King and the prime minister meet weekly, and the images came from a gathering that coincided with a meeting of the National Security Council.
The King and Queen have been extremely active ahead of the summer vacation season.
President Obama, during a visit to Spain, spent time with King Felipe at the fames Reina Sofía museum last week.
The King and the former U.S. president toured the complex, including Picasso’s Guernica masterpiece.
King Felipe also gifted Obama a book about Guernica.
Several Spanish news outlets have in recent days released leaked recordings from a German aristocrat who was friends with King Juan Carlos.
Corinna Larsen Adkins, also known as Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, has for years caused controversy in Spain and helped lead to Don Juan Carlos’ abdication.
Now, recordings from 2015 leaked by a disgraced businessman and former commissar, suggest the King used her as a figurehead for properties.
Leftist parties have called for an investigation of King Juan Carlos, but so far major parties and news outlets have given the issue scant or no attention.
The recordings also suggest Don Juan Carlos may have had money or properties hidden abroad, and may have taken advantage of an amnesty with tax authorities.
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