The Royal Household also released a series of statistics about Their Royal Highnessess as Prince and Princess of Asturias, and heirs to the Spanish throne.
The couple has made more than 70 foreign trips to 38 countries. They have hosted more than 1,500 official events together, with Princess Letizia hosting 190 by herself.
The Prince and Princess have also received more than 7,000 people together during audiences.
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia were in Barcelona today handing out Royal Dispatches to new judges.
Their very presence in Barcelona was of note because of the ongoing debate in Catalonia about independence.
The King, who recently returned from Saudi Arabia, greeted Catalan President Artur Mas cordially, even though Mas has been pushing for a referendum on independence.
During his remarks, King Juan Carlos touted “democratic coexistence, social peace and justice.” He also stressed the importance of Constitutional principles and rights.
Yesterday the King visited the Basque Country, another autonomous community known for pro-independence and republican rumblings.
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, and Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia hosted a lunch for Mexican writer Elena Poniatowska, 2013 winner of the Cervantes prize for literature in Spanish.
Members of the Royal Family are also expected to attend the upcoming awards ceremony at the University of Alcalá de Henares, birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
Over the weekend members of the Royal Family, also including Infanta Elena, attended Eastern Mass in Palma de Mallorca.
King Juan Carlos is on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait this week, looking to further cement ties with the Persian Gulf nations and promote economic cooperation.
The King has for decades been keen on developing a personal relationship with Middle Eastern royals to lobby for economic opportunities for Spanish firms.
Over the weekend Queen Sofia, who is a big fan of classical music, attended a performance of Verdi’s Requiem at the Toledo Cathedral in honor of the deal of painter El Greco.
Queen Sofia with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
And this evening, Her Majesty was in the Balearic Islands at the Mallorca Cathedral for another concert, this one to benefit drug treatment and abuse prevention.
Also in recent weeks, the Royal Household announced that Queen Sofia will have a new chief of staff beginning in October — Arturo Luis Coello Villanueva.
Villanueva will replace José Cabrera García, who will retire after three decades in service to the Crown.
The gossip surrounding the Spanish Royal Family grew dramatically this week with the release of a new book by Spanish historian and Royal chronicler Pilar Urbano.
Essentially she says the King tried to oust former Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez, who recently died.
As a result, she says, the Don Juan Carlos inadvertently sparked the infamous 1981 coup attempt, which the King is credited with having put down.
Spain’s Royal Household and its political establishment have dismissed the allegations and have come in the King’s defense.
Also this week media outlets reported reforms aimed at making litigation against Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia go straight to the Supreme Court.
LOS BORBONES 