Category Archives: Spanish Royals

T.R.H.s Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias Visit Chile: Day Two (VIDEO)

T.R.H.s Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias continued their two-day official visit to Chile on November 23, 2011.  The royal couple visited the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santiago to attend the inauguration of “… an exhibition of works by the Spanish photographer Chema Madoz…” In the afternoon, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia will attend a luncheon, hosted by the Spanish Ambassador,  in their honor.

Last evening the royal couple attended a state dinner at the Palacio de La Moneda in Santiago where they were entertained by local dancers and, of course, speeches were made.

To watch a video as well as to view photos please click the links below:

Source: Casa de Su Majestad el Rey and Santiago Times

Photo courtesy of: Daylife/Reuters

T.R.H.s Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias Visit Chile: Day One (VIDEO)

T.R.H.s Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias have arrived in Santiago, Chile two-day official visit.  The royal couple were received at Chile’s International Airport by Foreign Minister, Alfredo Moreno.

This morning the royal couple attended an official reception, hosted by President Sebastian Piñera, at Palacio de La Moneda.  Soon, the prince and princess paid a tribute to the late Chilean independence leader, Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme, by placing a wreath at a monument dedicated to him.

In the afternoon, Prince Felipe gave a keynote speech at the Chile-Spain Investment Forum and Seminar held at the Sheraton Hotel where “…where 100 corporate representatives gathered to discuss Spain’s commercial opportunities in the Chilean market.”  From there the royal couple visited the National Congress headquarters in Santiago.

This evening the royal couple will attend an official gala dinner hosted by President Piñera at the Palacio de La Moneda.

To view photos please click here. 

Sources: Tele13.cl

Photo courtesy of: Daylife/Reuters

H.R.H. Prince Felipe of Asturias Visits the Ship, ‘Juan Carlos I’

H.R.H. Prince Felipe of Asturias visited the LHD ship “Juan Carlos I”, on Thrusday November 17, 2011, where he attended a presentation of capabilities of the Strategic Projection Ship that is used as a platform for aircraft (aircraft carrier alternative), as a ship Marine amphibious ship or projection of Army forces and humanitarian support missions.

The prince was welcomed aboard by Admiral Chief of Staff of the Navy, Manuel Rebollo, the Admiral of the Fleet, Santiago Bolibar Pineiro, and the commander of the LHD “Juan Carlos I”, Christopher Gonzalez. The ship LHD “Juan Carlos I” is 230 meters long and 32 meters wide, a staff of 243 sailors and ability to transport troops, boats, landing craft and a platform with capacity for 30 aircraft.

To view photos please click here.

Source and photo courtesy of Casa de Su Majestad El Rey

H.M. King Juan Carlos of Spain Holds Several Audiences at Zarzuela Palace

On November 15, 2011, His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain held several audiences at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid.

His Majesty King Juan Carlos first received Mr. Rafael del Rio Sendino, president of Caritas and Mr. Sebastian Mora Spanish Rosado, Spanish Secretary General of Caritas:

The Caritas is the official federation entities, Charities of the Catholic Church in Spain, established by the Episcopal Conference, which develops within Spain an important role in promoting social support and social groups in a precarious situation and/or social exclusion.

The commitment to these situations is supported by the free labor of more than 65,000 volunteers, representing 90 percent of human resources of the institution in Spain.

Next, the he received members from the Board of Management of the University Hospital of Navarra on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

And, finally King Juan Carlos received the board of directors from Bankia.

Bankia develops a model of universal banking business based on a multi-brand, multichannel management focused on meeting the financial needs of 12 million customers in all segments: individuals, small businesses, large corporations and public and private institutions.

The activity is concentrated in Spain with a business model based on the territorial diversification. In addition, Bankia has international presence in Germany, Austria, China, USA, France, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal and the UK.

To view photos from today’s event please click here. 

Source and photo courtesy of: Casa de Su Majestad El Rey

T.R.H.s Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias Meet with the Participants from the First International Seminar on Education and Education Policy

Their Royal Highnesses Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias held an audience this afternoon, November 14, 2011, at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, Spain.

The prince and princess met those who will take part in the First International Seminar on Education and Education Policy.  The participants include Alejandro Fernández de Araoz Gomez-Acebo, coordinator of the Seminar,  Pablo Vazquez Vega, CEO of FEDEA, Jesus Sanchez Lamb, Director General of Fundación José Ortega y Gasset, Rafael Repullo Labrador, Director of the Center for Monetary and Financial Studies (CEMFI), James J. Heckman, an economics professor at University of Chicago and Nobel Prize winner, Antonio Ciccone, Professor of Economics at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, José García Montalvo, Professor of Economics at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Lea Peersman, Director of the Ariane de Rothschild Foundation, Jaume Pagés, CEO of Universia, María del Pino Calvo-Sotelo, president of the Fundación Rafael del Pino, Petitbò Amadeo, Director General Rafael del Pino Foundation and Paul Garcia Berdoy, CEO of the Aspen Institute Spain.

To view a series of photos please click here. 

Source: Casa de Su Majestad el Rey

Photo courtesy of: Zimbio/C.Alvarez

Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain Participates in the 2011 Global Microcredit Summit (VIDEO)

On Sunday November 13, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain arrived in Valladolid to participate in the 2011 Global Microcredit Summit.

The 2011 Global Microcredit Summit is an important meeting held at a time of crisis with global implications. This year numerous heads of state and government, experts and representatives of national and international working in the fight against hunger and poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are in attendance.

On Monday 14, in the morning, Her Majesty Queen Sofia arrived at the Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes, where she was greeted by President of the Junta de Castilla y León, Juan Vicente Herrera, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Trinidad Jimenez, president of the Castile and Leon, Maria Josefa Garcia Cirac, the government delegate in the autonomous community of Castilla y León, Miguel Alejo, the mayor of Valladolid, Francisco Javier Leon de la Riva, the Secretary of State International Cooperation, Soraya Rodríguez, Muhammad Yunus and the director of the Campaign of the Microcredit Summit Campaign, Sam Daley-Harris. She then came into the building and was greeted by Secretary General for Social Policy and Consumer Affairs, Maria Isabel Martinez Lozano, president of the Provincial Council of Valladolid, Jesus Carnero, President of the Institute of Official Credit, José María Ayala and Citigroup Inc. vice president, Lewis B. Kaden.

During the event Queen Sofia gave a speech in which she noted that reliance on Spain for the organization of the Summit (rough translation):

…confirms the important place that our country has achieved worldwide in the role of microfinance, as this is not in vain the first global summit to be held on European soil… there is no doubt that microfinance is absolutely essential to achieving the Millennium Development Goals set by United Nations and especially the number one goal, which aims to have the proportion of people with incomes below a dollar a day in 2015, and as a sign of confidence from Spain in the role of microfinance is that in just ten years, our country has become the second largest donor worldwide, with 713 contributions million Euros.

The queen ended her speech noting that the Global Microcredit Summit does not arise only as a forum for discussion and exchange of experiences, but aims to promote two basic goals:

  1. To achieve that 175 million families access to basic financial services by the end of 2015.
  2. To have 100 million of the world’s poorest families improve their income above the threshold of one dollar a day.

To watch a video as well as to view photos please click the links below:

Source and photo courtesy of Casa de Su Majestad el Rey

T.R.H.s Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias Visit London, England (VIDEO)

Their Royal Highnesses Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias are currently in London, England to promote as well as support economic relations between Spain and the United Kingdom.

In the morning the royal couple visited the International Tourism Fair World Travel Market in the Excel Exhibition Centre in London, accompanied by Secretary General of Domestic Trade and Tourism, Joan Mesquida, and the director general of the Tourism Institute of Spain ( Turespaña), Anton Barnabas.

The International Tourism Fair World Travel Market, held annually in London and offers the opportunity to meet the entire global tourism industry, to network, negotiate and conduct business. The World Travel Market offers participants the opportunity to learn the latest trends in the tourism industry in an efficient, effective and productive.

At noon, the royal couple attended a luncheon with executives from several major British tour operators represented in the Spanish market.  Also in attendance were the Heads of Government of the Canaries, the Balearic Islands and Valencia, Ambassador Spain in the United Kingdom, the general secretary of Tourism and Domestic Trade and other authorities of the Autonomous Communities.

In the afternoon, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia attended the first bilateral economic forum alongside business and political leaders of Spain and the United Kingdom held at the Landmark Hotel in London and organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Spain in Britain, in collaboration with the Chamber British Trade in Spain.

This economic forum was founded with the aim of becoming an annual platform for collaboration and discussion among participants in the trade relations between the two countries. During the meeting the following topics were discussed:

  1. Future investment in the country: How to find a solution to the economic situation current private sector
  2. Role of governments in strengthening trade relations and support growth
  3. Importance of cooperation between companies of both countries to increase competitiveness.

Later, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia awarded the accreditation to the Friends of the Spain Brand in the UK and then attended a gala dinner in celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Chamber of Commerce of Spain in Britain, which was founded in 1886, and is a key institution in the development of economic and trade relations between the two countries. Located in London, the Chamber of Commerce offers Spanish and English companies trade promotion opportunities in both markets through a wide range of services, covering the areas of promotion, networking, information and advice, training, business development, business cooperation, logistical and administrative support.

To view photos please click the links below:

Source and photo courtesy of: Casa de Su Majestad el Rey