The protocol during the funeral has put the king, Don Juan Carlos, Doña Letizia and Doña Sofia together
Two years after the last image, Felipe VI and the King Emeritus have reappeared together in a public act. The protocol devised by the British royal family during Elizabeth II’s funeral left a picture for history by placing the king, Doña Letizia, Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofia on the same bench in Westminster Abbey. The four have sat in the second row, in the area reserved for the most important royal houses in Europe. To the right of the Queen Emeritus have been the Kings of Norway, Harald V and Sonia. In the front Margaret of Denmark and her son Frederick; the kings of Sweden Carlos Gustavo and Silvia; and those of the Netherlands, Guillermo and Máxima, as well as the previous queen, Princess Beatriz. Felipe and Matilde have sat in the bench behind the kings of Belgium; the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg, Enrique and María Teresa; as well as Albert of Monaco and Charlenne.
The last time an image of Felipe VI with his father was seen was at the Infanta Pilar funeral in January 2020 in El Escorial. Since then, there has been only one other meeting, and it was private. It was last May when Don Juan Carlos returned temporarily from Abu Dhabi to attend a regatta in Sansenxo. After traveling through the Galician city, the King Emeritus and Felipe VI met in La Zarzuela, albeit discreetly. A journey that showed the tensions between father and son.
The two attended the official reception held for more than 500 guests at Buckingham Palace on Sunday. They parted ways and although they apparently had a “warm” meeting, no footage could be captured. The king was accompanied by Queen Letizia and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares; and Don Juan Carlos, from Dona Sofia. While Felipe VI had landed in London on an Air Force flight from Madrid, the King Emeritus did so on a commercial flight direct from Abu Dhabi.
Although there was initially speculation about the possibility that father and son would sit in different places to avoid an image that didn’t quite convince in Zarzuela, they eventually shared a bench. Members of the various royal families invited to the funeral gathered early in the morning at the Royal Chelsea Hospital, from where they were taken by bus to the abbey. To avoid controversy, Albares has made it clear that the official representation is exercised by Felipe VI.
The King and his mother will also attend the private religious service at Windsor Castle this afternoon, at the express invitation of Charles III. A ceremony that Doña Letizia finds very difficult to attend since she booked a trip to New York to participate in several United Nations events. Nor is the emeritus supposed to accuse King.
Source: La Verdad
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