Although the event was intended to be performed only by the two daughters of the kings, they wanted to give both them and the young people who accompanied them a surprise: a group of forty young people between 17 and 21 years old winners of the competition “What is a King for you?”
In this way the princes appeared while the whole group was thinking a painting of King Charles IIIthe favorite of Felipe VI, who has exactly another statue of this monarch in his office in the Zarzuela Palace, and they accompanied them for the rest of the tour of the Gallery of the Royal Collections.
In this surprise, the king came without a tie, while Queen Letizia repeated this with flat sandals, as she did this morning, because she has a broken toe on her right foot.
The Princess of Asturias, Infanta Sofía and a group of young participants in the competition 'What is a king for you?' They receive an explanation from María Dueñas during her visit to the Gallery of the Royal Collections.#10BirthdayPhilipVI
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— House of His Majesty the King (@CasaReal) June 19, 2024
Guided tour of the Royal Collections Gallery
The young people who attended the visit took part in the editions between the 32nd and 29th of the competition that organizes the Spanish institutional foundation (FIES) and they already had the chance to be with King Felipe VI when the prizes were awarded.
The author Maria Duenas, author of 'The Time Between Seams', served as master of ceremonies and accompanied the Princess of Asturias, the infanta and the rest of the group during the visit. Several mediators from the National Heritage also accompanied them to provide them with the relevant explanations.
Upon arriving at the building, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía had their photo taken with the guests, who had already prepared for the occasion, after which the group broke up and the first altercations took place with the daughters of the kings.
There was no press present during this tour of the exhibition. And it was Zarzuela who distributed images of the moment, where Leonor and Sofía can be seen attentively following the explanations of some of the works they observed and also talking to some young people.
Located next to the Royal Palace, which has been the epicenter of all the festivities, the Gallery opened its doors over a year ago and brings together more than 650 pieces from the Royal Collections, including works by Velázquez, Goya and Caravaggio. sculptures, furniture and decorative objects.
Fame of Leonor and Sofia
The daughters of the Kings have thus been protagonists of a solo act, something unusual, with which they wanted to emphasize the role that they and their generation are called to play. Felipe VI himself mentioned this issue in the speech he made during the awarding of the Order of Civil Merit to 19 Spaniards for their services to others.
For example, at one point he emphasized that the queen and he have counted in these ten years of reign “with the growing supportof his daughters. “We also want this to be a special anniversary for them,” he said.
Together with the young people of his generation, Felipe emphasized, “they have begun to live and understand, with a necessary critical spirit and eagerness to learn, the reality of our collective life and the complex dynamics of the world.”
The Princess of Asturias and her sister undoubtedly played a starring role in one of the most memorable moments of the day, when they surprised the King and Queen with a toast during the lunch they hosted at the Royal Palace.
Both have praised the example they have given them during these ten years, emphasizing that they have learned from them “what dedication to all Spaniards means” and both have taught them “the value of the Crown, its usefulness for our society and its purpose to serve all.