Spain’s royal family always start their summer break with a stint on Mallorca and King Felipe has arrived and got the holidays started the traditional way.
As his daughters commiserated with the Spanish women’s football team over their loss in the Euros 2025 final to England, Felipe VI was throwing open the doors of his palace on Mallorca to welcome local politicians for a series of meetings.
It might not scream vacay, but these audiences are always held by the King of Spain as he begins his summer residence on the island.
King Felipe is on a working holiday
First in to see the Spanish king was Margalida Prohens Rigo, who is President of the Balearic Islands. She is head of the government of the islands, one of 17 autonomous regions within Spain.
They met at the beautiful Palace of the Almudaina in Palma de Mallorca where King Felipe will hold many of his political meetings.
The Spanish royal family also has a residence on the island, the Palace of Marivent where Felipe’s parents, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, famously hosted their Windsor counterparts for several summer holidays with Prince William and Prince Harry playing there with their parents, Charles and Diana.
The Spanish king will have a series of political meetings during his stay on Mallorca.
The set piece of the stay is an evening reception for dignitaries, community leaders and other notable figures from across the islands who will be welcomed to the royal hoe by King Felipe who is expected to be joined by his wife, Queen Letizia.
Felipe VI’s mother, Queen Sofia, has always enjoyed her stay on Mallorca and often arrives ahead of her family for the visit. However, she has taken a much quieter role in royal events over the past few months and it’s not known whether the queen, who will be 87 in November, will be part of the glittering reception.
There is every expectation now that the two daughters of King Felipe and Queen Letizia will be on hand to host the event. Princess Leonor, 19, and Infanta Sofia, 18, are both now taking on more public engagements and the summer reception on Mallorca now seems a shoe in for the young royals.
Busy summer for Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia
Leonor is back home for several months after completing a year of naval training. Late summer will see her start a year with Spain’s air force to complete her military formation – she trained with the army between 2023 and 2024.
Sofia, 18, is also enjoying a few weeks with her family before beginning her university education. The infanta, second in line to the Spanish throne, will begin a three year course in Politics and International Relations at the Forward College this autumn. Her studies will take place in Paris, Berlin and Lisbon.
The Princess of Asturias and her sister flew to Switzerland to watch the final of the Euros 2025 while their father was settling into his Mallorcan holiday. Leonor and Sofia watched Spain’s La Roja take on the Lionesses in a tense match to be crowed European champions. The game ended in penalties, which England took 3-1.
(Casa de S.M. el Rey)
Princess Leonor headed into the changing rooms after the defeat to offer a few words of consolation to the Spanish players with Sofia at her side. The Infanta is a passionate football supporter and follows the game avidly. She was in Australia two years ago to see Spain defeat England in the Women’s World Cup final.
Ahead of the match, Leonor and Sofia met up with Prince William and Princess Charlotte who had gone to Basel to support the Lionesses. The four royals watched the match together with the Prince of Wales and his daughter heading on to the pitch for the trophy presentation and celebrations that followed.
The Spanish royals are expected to fly from Switzerland to Mallorca for the holiday stay. As well as the formal events, King Felipe and Queen Letizia are often seen eating out at restaurants around Mallorca while the family have in the past visited a local tourist attraction to help promote visits to the island.
