This year, Spanish monarchs Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. To mark the occasion, the royal couple decided to commission new official portraits, entrusting the task to the iconic photographer.

The royal family chose Annie Leibovitz, who, in 2022, visited Kyiv to document the wartime reality of Ukraine’s presidential couple.

The portraits of the monarchs were taken in February at the Royal Palace of Madrid. Queen Letizia wore a vintage 1948 Balenciaga gown paired with jewelry that once belonged to King Felipe’s great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.

Meanwhile, King Felipe VI was photographed in full military uniform. The two portraits form a diptych, intended to be displayed side by side.

Photo: @theroyalhistorian

The visit of the King and Queen of Spain to Valencia, where over 200 people lost their lives in a devastating flood, was marred by an unpleasant incident. The royal couple intended to show support and solidarity with the local residents. However, things did not go as planned — hundreds of residents staged a protest, throwing mud and empty cans at them.

Protesters chanted, «Murderers!», «Get out!», «We are already dead», and «Pedro Sánchez, son of a b***h», while demanding the resignation of the national and regional governments.

 

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Публикация от ¡Hola Madrid TV! (@holamadrid_23)

Photos and videos show the monarchs’ faces and clothing smeared with mud. Despite the situation, members of the royal family remained calm and attempted to speak with the locals.

 

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Публикация от Royalty_Supreme (@royaltysupreme_)

The crowd’s anger appeared to be mainly directed at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who was escorted away shortly after the incident began. People expressed outrage over the visit happening only six days after the disaster and questioned why no measures had been taken to prevent the tragedy.

Queen Letizia was also escorted from the streets after being struck in the face with mud. In one video, she appears to tear up and embrace several people who tried to comfort her.

 

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Публикация от Reina Letizia (@reina_letizia2020)

Meanwhile, King Felipe chose to stay on the street and continued speaking with those present.

To recap, on the night of October 30, several regions of Spain received a year’s worth of rainfall in mere hours. The floods claimed at least 217 lives. Thousands remain without power or are facing shortages of drinking water and food. Furthermore, floods continue to ravage the country, with heavy rains forecasted in the Catalonia, Aragon, and Murcia regions.

Photo: Instagram @holamadrid_23