Letizia and Felipe of Spain visiting Carlo Gustavo and Silvia of Sweden

The first official visit to Sweden by Felipe and Letizia of Spain is unfolding with all the elements of royal ceremoniality. The sovereigns, who landed on Tuesday 23 November at Stockholm airport, the next day they arrived at the Royal Stables, where they were welcomed by re Carlo Gustavo and his wife Silvia. Then, aboard golden chariots, they arrived at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The four royals visited together with the Nobel Museum, so they broke up. King Felipe was welcomed by the Swedish Parliament, where he met with President Andreas Norlén. Letizia and Silvia instead visited the Karolinska Institut, the famous medical research institution, where they met the experts who study rare diseases (a key theme, for years, in the work of the Spanish sovereign).

The second day of the state visit ended with one gala dinner in the Royal Palace Ballroom. The photos of the evening allow us to peek at the diners (including Victoria of Sweden with her husband Daniel) seated around the preciously laid table, with the royals sporting their glittering tiaras.

The menu, based on typical Swedish gastronomy, consisted of twelve courses (not counting the desserts), including arctic trout and river caviar served on porcelain commissioned by Queen Josephine at the end of the 19th century.

Today Felipe and Letizia will conclude their official trip to Sweden – the first of a Spanish royal couple after that of Juan Carlos and Sofia 42 years ago – with a visit to Stockholm City Hall and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, where ecological transition for post-pandemic recovery will be discussed.