King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain have headed off for a private holiday with their daughters before the late summer brings big changes for the whole family.
After almost a week in Mallorca, where they carried out a series of public engagements as their vacations began, Felipe and Letizia are now believed to have left Spain for a break away from the spotlight.
A very royal holiday for Queen Letizia?
It’s reported that the couple, along with 19 year old Princess Leonor and 18 year old Infanta Sofia, are in Greece. The family is thought to be staying at a villa owned by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.
The two families share a strong bond, tightened when Felipe and Letizia gave their support to Willem-Alexander and Maxima’s eldest daughter during a difficult time in her life.
(YouTube still/ fair use)
Princess Catharina-Amalia found herself the subject of a series of threats and had to live in Madrid for several months to be able to start university studies. The Spanish royals became a home from home for her.
However, the Dutch royal villa in Greece isn’t without controversy. In recent weeks, media in the Netherlands has criticised the country’s royals for spending so much time there over the summer and not supporting local tourism. It’s also reignited rows about the cost of the villa.
All change for Leonor and Sofia
This summer marks a milestone moment for Spain’s royals. Princess Leonor has just finished a year of naval training which saw her spend nearly six months at sea on a training vessel that travelled from Spain to South America then on to the United States. She returned home for the summer but will soon leave again to start a year of training with Spain’s air force.
Infanta Sofia, 18, is also taking on big changes. The second in line to the throne completed her Baccalaureate at UWC Atlantic College in Wales this summer and is now heading to university.
(Casa de S.M. el Rey
Her course takes place in Lisbon, Paris and Berlin meaning Sofia will be travelling extensively for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, King Felipe and Queen Letizia will be preparing for a new set of royal engagements after their break has ended and they have seen their two daughters off to their new adventures.
