Princess Leonor Makes First Foreign Visit

Leonor, the Princess of Asturias, made her first official visit as heir to the Spanish throne to Portugal Friday.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa welcomed Her Royal Highness with pomp and a lunch at Belém Palace.

The trip was treated somewhat like a state visit, including an official departure from the Terminal of State in Madrid.

Spanish Royal Household
Spanish Royal Household
Spanish Royal Household
Spanish Royal Household

During her visit, Princess Leonor received the Grand Cross of the Order of Christ, a military decoration dating back to the 1300s.

IMAGES: King Felipe Celebrates Ten Years On The Throne

King Felipe celebrated a decade as Spain’s head of state, with Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia joining him in a day of celebration Wednesday.

The royals hosted officials for a lunch at the Madrid Royal Palace, handed out Orders of Civil Merit decorations, visited the Gallery of Royal Collections, toured an exhibit on the anniversary, and attended an evening concert and light show.

As tabloids keep speculating about a crisis within the Royal Family, the King, Queen and their daughters continue pushing through with their agenda and duties.

King Meets With Bukele, Erdogan

King Felipe met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid last week for high level conversations between both countries.

The gathering was part of a busy week for the Spanish Royal family on foreign policy, both at home and abroad.

King Felipe and Ergodan. Spanish Royal Household

King Felipe traveled to El Salvador for the June 1st inauguration of President Nayib Bukele, who is beginning a second term in office.

King Felipe greeting Bukele with his wife, Gabriela Rodríguez, looking on. Spanish Royal Household

Closer to home, last week His Majesty handed former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi the Charles V European Award. Draghi also served as head of the European Central Bank during the Eurozone crisis.

King Felipe handed the award at the Yuste Monastery on behalf of the Yuste Foundation. The site in western Spain hosted King and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V until his death.

King Felipe and Draghi. Spanish Royal Household

Queen Letizia took an international trip this month to survey Spain’s development and aid work in Guatemala.

Spanish Royal Household

During her visit, Her Majesty met with local advocates and aid workers, and Spaniards living in the country.

Infanta Elena Back On The Agenda

Infanta Elena, King Felipe’s sister, was back representing the Royal Family in an official capacity last week. She lead an awards ceremony at the new Gallery of Royal Collections.

Spanish Royal Household

The appearance was a surprise to many royal watchers because the Duchess of Lugo has not been part of the core Royal Family for years after her brother became monarch.

It’s unclear whether Infanta Elena, who spent years as a working royal, will become more prominent in representing the Crown.

King, Queen Meet With Ukraine President

King Felipe and Queen Letizia met with Ukrainan President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Madrid Royal Palace this week.

Zelenskyy was supposed to visit Madrid earlier in the month but delayed the trip because Russia’s escalating attacks on his country.

Spanish Royal Household

Zelenskyy’s trip to Spain included an agreement with the government for more weapons deliveries.

King, Queen Celebrate Landmark Anniversary

King Felipe and Queen Letizia last week celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary after a rocky year.

The Spanish Royal Household released a group of photos of the King and Queen and their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia. They were taken in the gardens of the Madrid Royal Palace.

Focused on doing damage to the Crown, the Queen’s former brother in law resurfaced claims on social media of an affair with her years ago. The Royal Household has publicly ignored the issue.

ICYM: King, Queen Announce New Staff

King Felipe and Queen Letizia announced new top staffers in recent weeks after the departure of long-time aides.

Camilo Villarino, diplomat and jurist, is the new head of the Royal Household. He replaces Jaime Alfonsín, who has worked with Don Felipe for decades.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia with Princess Leonor, who is undergoing military training. Spanish Royal Household

​As for Queen Letizia, attorney María Dolores Ocaña has become her chief of staff, replacing long-time aide, José Manuel Zuleta, the Duke of Abrantes.

Scenes From Netherland State Visit

King Felipe and Queen Letizia just finished several days of travel to the Netherlands for a state visit with King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Catharina-Amalia.

Members of both royal families are close and displayed those ties during three days of events, tours and meetings.

Also participating in a dinner at the Amsterdam Royal Palace was former queen, Princess Beatrix, and her sister Margaret.

Spanish Royal Household

According to tradition, the Queen and Queen are given an official sendoff at the Madrid Terminal of State before beginning their trip.

Queen Letizia was seen sitting during a receiving line. Media outlets point to a chronic condition flaring up.

Queen Sofia Recovering From Infection

Queen Sofia was rushed to the hospital in Madrid earlier this week with what media outlets describe as a urinary tract infection.

King Felipe’s mother, 85, has been at several public events in recent weeks. She’s at the Ruber Internacional Hospital not far from her home at Zarzuela Palace.

Queen Sofia last month. Spanish Royal Household

King Felipe and Queen Letizia have been seen visiting Queen Sofia at the hospital. She’s expected to recover.

Queen Sofia is known for healthy eating and athleticism, and has generally been in good health. Her sister, Princess Irene, is said to be in more delicate health.

Royals Celebrate Holy Week, Easter

Members of the Spanish Royal Family broke with tradition again this year by not attending Easter services in Mallorca as they used to do.

The last time it happened was in 2019, a year after Queen Letiza showed displeasure with Queen Sofia for reportedly not following a plan for exiting the Palma Cathedral.

The incident generated international headlines and added to Queen Letizia’s apparent desire to not spend most of her vacations in the Balearic Islands.

The royals have been seen enjoying down time and attended a Holy Week procession in Madrid on Saturday. Present at one event were Queen Letizia, King Felipe, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia.

Queen Sofia attended a procession Friday in Malaga with her sister, Princess Irene. There, Queen Sofia bumped into actor Antonio Banderas.

Spanish Royal Household via Instagram

Queen Sofia and Princess Irene also attended, along with Infanta Cristina, a procession at the Royal Palace in Madrid.

And Queen Sofia and Princess Irene, fans of vacationing in Mallorca, led a benefit concert there earlier last week.

Spanish Royal Household

The next time we may see King Felipe and Queen Letizia in Mallorca may be during the summer.