Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía have surprised with a few brief words dedicated to the King and Queen that were not on the agenda of the celebrations for the tenth anniversary of Felipe VI’s reign at the Royal Palace of Madrid. The daughters of Felipe VI and Letizia have starred in a spontaneous and emotional moment by apologizing to their parents for “crashing” the event and proposing a toast on their behalf to celebrate their ten years of reign.
“Mum, Dad, Your Majesties. Sorry for interrupting, but we also have something to say today. Thank you for being here with us to remember that over these ten years we have learned from our parents what commitment means, the commitment that the four of us have with all Spaniards. Now we would like you to join us in a toast to our mother and father, to our Kings. Because since we were born, they have taught us the value of this institution, of the Crown, its usefulness to society, and its purpose to serve everyone. Mum, Dad, thank you,” the Princess and the Infanta took turns saying in their speech.
The toast by the sisters, which has moved the King, took place during the post-ceremony luncheon following the decoration ceremony. At the luncheon, in addition to the 19 awardees and a family member for each of them, the Government and representatives of the high state institutions that are or have been in charge of them in the last ten years were present. At the table, the authorities will alternate with citizens who will also flank the royal family.
The menu, designed by the Valladolid-born chef based in Alicante, María José San Román Pérez, consisted of a starter, a main course, and a dessert. The velvet beetroot with tomato vinaigrette and lobster was followed by a bonito fish marinated in Moscatel balsamic vinegar with fresh seaweed. The meal concluded with a chocolate mille-feuille with Jijona nougat. San Román Pérez was awarded the Medal of Fine Arts in 2022, presented by the King and Queen in Cádiz in April of this year.
After this lunch, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia will tour the Royal Collections gallery accompanied by 40 young people between 14 and 20 years old, guided by the writer María Dueñas. The chosen young people are selected from the winners of the “What is a king to you?” contest in recent years, organized annually by the Spanish Institutional Foundation (FIES), in which students from all over Spain have been participating for decades.