Queen Letizia Honors Queen Sofia

Queen Letizia helped honor Queen Sofia, her mother-in-law, for work preventing drug addiction.

reina_letizia_sofia_fad_20160622_02 — Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia arrive at the Royal Post Office building in Madrid. © Casa de S.M. el Rey

Queen Sofia has taken more of a back seat since her husband, King Juan Carlos, abdicated the Spanish throne.

But Queen Sofia remains active with royal events and shepherding her foundation. Groups have been awarding her for her help.

reina_letizia_sofia_fad_20160622_06 — © Casa de S.M. el Rey

Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia have always seemed to have a close relationship.

Queen Letizia knows she doesn’t have her mother-in-law’s blue blood, but has the life experience and speaking abilities necessary to complement her.

reina_letizia_sofia_fad_20160622_15 — © Real Casa de Correos. Madrid

Queen Letizia is not as close to her father-in-law, King Juan Carlos, who has never fully warmed up to her.

King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia Seem Closer

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, long known to be a distant couple, have taken part in a series of events together.

rey_juan_carlos_reina_sofia_autobiografia_simeon_bulgaria_20160609_08 — © Casa S.M. el Rey

Last week, Their Majesties attended a ceremony for the publication of Bulgarian King Simeon’s memoirs.

The Bulgarian royals in exile have set roots in Spain and created close ties with Spain’s monarchs.

Separately, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia recently visited an art exhibit at the Royal Palace in Madrid.

reyes_juan_carlos_sofia_seicento_colecciones_reales_20160606_05

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia were also together during a visit to Spain by former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Royalty On Stage And Film

Madrid’s Teatro Español this month opened a long-awaited play about Queen Sofia.

The work, written by Ignacio García May, focuses on Queen Sofia’s long life as one of Europe’s foremost royals.

reina_sofia_premios_mapfre_20160606_01 — Queen Sofia with her daughter, Infanta Elena.

Her Majesty has lived through wars, in exile, and has had complicated relationships with her mother, the late Greek Queen Frederica, and her husband, King Juan Carlos I.

reyes_juan_carlos_sofia_seicento_colecciones_reales_20160606_05 — King Juan Carlos and Queen Letizia reviewing an art exhibit at the Royal Palace in Madrid.

Separately, Queen Letizia dropped in on Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, who is filming a movie called “The Queen of Spain.”

The drama and comedy is about the production of a movie about Queen Isabella.

Media outlets have been keen on reporting about the Queen’s meeting with Cruz.

Royal Events Sweep Madrid

Madrid and its surrounding have been host to several high profile royal events in recent days.

Beatrix of the Netherlands, who abdicated in favor of her son in 2013, was in the city yesterday to celebrate Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch, known in Spain as El Bosco.

bosco_reyes_exposición_20160530_04 — Princess Beatrix greets King Felipe and Queen Letizia at the National Museum of El Prado. © Casa de S.M. el Rey

Queen Beatrix also spent time with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia during a lunch at the Palace of Zarzuela outside Madrid.

rey_felipe_almuerzo_princesa_beatriz_paises_bajos_20160530_01 — © Casa de S.M. el Rey

Over the weekend King Felipe and Queen Letizia presided over ceremonies for Armed Forces Day.

reyes_fuerzas_armadas_20160528_2 — © Casa de S.M. el Rey

The King also escaped to Milan over the weekend for the final of UEFA Champions League 2016 game between Madrid’s two football clubs.

A Royal Family Close To Its People

Members of the modern Spanish Royal Family have always been said to be close to their people.

Their agenda in recent weeks has been evidence of that.

Last week King Felipe and Queen Letizia visited communities located to the south of Madrid — Villanueva de los Infantes, Tomelloso and Talavera de la Reina.

reyes_felipe_letizia_castilla_lamancha_20160518_.04 — @ Agencia EFE

Their Majesties greeted large crowds and made balcony appearances, as is the custom in large parts of Spain.

reyes_felipe_letizia_castilla_lamancha_20160518_.15a — © Casa de S.M. el Rey

The King and Queen also attended a mass at the Almudena Cathedral adjacent to the Madrid Royal Palace for the victims of the recent earthquake in Ecuador.

reyes_funeral_terremoto_ecuador_20160517_04 — © Casa de S.M. el Rey

King Juan Carlos was in Switzerland last week to support Seville in its game against Liverpool for the UEFA final.

rey_juan_carlos_final_uefa_europa_league_basilea_20160518_06 — © Casa de S.M. el Rey

And Queen Sofia attended a concert in the community of El Escorial, site of a large royal palace and pantheon, to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Charles III’s birth.

reina_sofia_concierto_el_escorial_06 — © Casa de S.M. el Rey

Earlier this month King Felipe, news outlets reported, made a spontaneous stop at a roadside restaurant for lunch. It seems bad weather affected his itinerary.

Two Kings For Innovation

King Felipe and King Juan Carlos both celebrated the COTEC Foundation for Spanish innovation.

Rey_Informe_Cotec_20160513_06 — © Casa de S.M. el Rey

That both Kings attended the Madrid ceremony underlines the importance of promoting innovation and economic recovery to the Spanish government.

Rey_Informe_Cotec_20160513_13 — © Casa de S.M. el Rey

In recent days, Queen Letizia presided over a ceremony in Albacete for the Red Cross.

reina_cruz_roja_20160509_13 — © Casa de S.M. el Rey

Queen Sofia has also been busy, including with a flag ceremony at Royal Guard headquarters near the Palace of El Pardo outside Madrid.

reina_sofia_jura_bandera_20160513_04 — © Casa de S.M. el Rey

King Meets With Pope Francis

King Felipe met briefly with Pope Francis earlier this month during an awards ceremony at Vatican City.

Rey_Vaticano_Carlomagno_20160506_007 — © Casa de S.M. el Rey

The pontiff was receiving an award for promoting European unity. And Don Felipe got the chance to meet with several of the continent’s leaders, including German President Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Mateo Renzi.

King Dissolves Parliament, Calls New Elections

King Felipe today dissolved parliament for the first time in Spanish democratic history.

rey_firma_disolucion_cortes_20160503_03 — King Felipe meets with Congress President Patxi Lopez in his office. © Casa de S.M. el Rey

His Majesty formalized that political parties were unable to come up with a governing coalition.

rey_firma_disolucion_cortes_20160503_01 — The Royal Decree.

If members of the Spanish Parliament are unable to cobble together a government following elections, the Constitution calls on the King to act.

King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia Together Again

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia were together again this week for the 70th birthday celebration of Swedish King Carl Gustaf.

reyes_cumpleaños_rey_suecia_20160430_02 — © Agencia EFE

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia are known to be a distant couple, but they are sometimes together at family events or gatherings involving European royals.

News outlets recently confirmed Her Majesty had a private lunch with British Queen Elizabeth II.

The magazine Hola also recently featured Don Juan Carlos and Infanta Elena presiding over a bullfight in Seville. Both are among the royals most attached to Spanish traditions.

King Sets Spain On Track For Election Redo

King Felipe set Spain on track for new national elections unless parties are able to come up with a governing compromise.

After a new round of consultations with party leaders, His Majesty decided against putting forth a new candidate for prime minister.

rey_consultas_pp_20160426_01 — The King with acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. © Casa de S.M. el Rey

Today the King took his daughter, the Princess of Asturias, to a soccer match. It signals the Royal Household’s effort to put the heir to the throne closer to the public eye.