MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Queen and Phillip formally welcome Felipe and Letizia at Horse Guards Parade

This is the first state visit by a Spanish monarch since King Juan Carlos toured Britain in 1986 when he raised the controversial issue of Gibraltar

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Wednesday formally welcomed the King of Spain to the UK with a military spectacle full of pomp and pageantry. Britain’s head of state and Philip warmly shook hands with King Felipe VI and his wife, Queen Letizia, at Horse Guards Parade, Henry VIII’s former jousting yard.

 The Duke, Queen and king are all descended from Queen Victoria and they shared a few words before the welcome ceremony began.

It is the first state visit by a Spanish monarch since King Juan Carlos toured Britain in 1986 when he raised the controversial issue of Gibraltar as his son Felipe is expected to do when he addresses parliamentarians later.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall had escorted the king and his wife from their London hotel to Horse Guards Parade, arriving in chauffeur-driven limousines.

Following protocol the Queen introduced the Spanish couple to leading figures from UK national life, including Prime Minister Theresa May, Home Secretary Amber Rudd, whose hat blew off when she arrived, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick and senior military figures.

During their three-day visit Felipe and Letizia will dine at a Buckingham Palace state banquet, with Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge expected to attend; visit the Palace of Westminster, where the king will address parliamentarians; and on Thursday Felipe will meet Mrs. May at Downing Street.

The backdrop to the visit is strained relations between Spain and the UK over Gibraltar, which have come to the fore because of Brexit.

Simon Manley, Britain’s ambassador to Spain, was questioned by journalists in Madrid last week, and when asked if Felipe could talk about the British overseas territory in his Westminster speech, he replied it was a possibility. Last September, Felipe used his address to the UN General Assembly in New York to call for a negotiated handover of
the Rock.