Spanish state visit to Sweden officially begins – Royal Central
On the morning of Wednesday, November 24, 2021, Stockholm woke up dressed for a party, when the Swedish capital got ready for the two-day state visit from the King and Queen of Spain.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia landed the day before in the Scandinavian country and in the evening they held a reception for the Spanish population in Sweden.
But a state visit does not officially take place until the ceremonial welcome has taken place, so King Felipe and Queen Letizia on the morning of November 24 traveled to the Royal Stables, where they were met by King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia.
The four royals then undertook the carriage journey from the stable to the royal castle, where a representation of the bodyguard’s grenadier guard waited for the two kings to be examined.
After the military parade, the official welcome ceremony continued with the introduction of King Felipe and Queen Letizia to members of the government and the Swedish Parliament, while King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia were presented to the Spanish delegation.
Once inside the palace, the Spanish royal couple received a warm welcome from the rest of the Swedish royalty: Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia were all on hand to greet their guests.
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House of SM el Rey
In the Castle Hall Lovisa Ulrika, the two kings gave short speeches to thank Sweden for their hospitality and to thank Spain for the cooperation efforts they have made with the county that currently hosts them.
In the afternoon, King Felipe and Queen Letizia visited “Synapsis. Art and science in Spain. From Ramón y Cajal to our days ”exhibition at the Nobel Museum focused on the work of Spanish researchers and took as its starting point the images of nerve cells drawn by Nobel laureate Santiago Ramón y Cajal.
The Spanish royal couple were accompanied by King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia, and due to the short distance from the Royal Palace and the Nobel Museum, the four decided to make the trip on foot, on their way through a Christmas market. stopped at a small house that sold hot chocolate.
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House of SM el Rey
After the exhibition, King Felipe and Queen Letizia had separate engagements on their agendas. King Felipe was welcomed to the Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag, where he held a meeting with the Speaker Andreas Norlén and the Deputy Secretary Ingvar Mattson.
Meanwhile, Queen Letizia together with Queen Silvia visited Karolinska Institute Hospital where she held a meeting with representatives from the rare diseases, marrow injuries and final vascular organ selective therapy. Rare diseases are one of the key areas for Queen Letizia back home, so it made sense for her to see how other countries deal with similar problems.
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House of SM el Rey
Before the State Banquet in the evening, King Felipe also had a meeting with outgoing Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, who is traditional at such visits. The content of these discussions is rarely published, but it is conceivable that the couple talked about, among other things, recovery from the 20 months of economic and social insecurity due to the global shutdown.
The state visit will end on November 25, 2021, when King Felipe and Queen Letizia are expected to give a reception in honor of King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia.