The King and Queen of Spain continued their tour to all of the Autonomous Communities with a trip to the Basque Country, with activities in Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz. The objective is to support the recovery of social, economic and citizen activity following the COVID-19 lockdown.

Their Majesties first activity of the day was a visit to the Museo Guggenheim in Bilbao. They toured the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson's exhibition 'In Real life', which brings our attention to some of today’s most urgent issues through approximately 30 artworks created by the artist between 1990 and today. 

The King and Queen also toured the  'Learning through art 2020' exhibition, which consists of works carried out by primary school students throughout this school year. ​

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia moved to the Museo de Bellas Artes where they held a meeting with business representatives from the Basque Country. An open dialogue was then held on the impact of COVID-19 on the Basque business network.

In the afternoon the Royal Couple moved to the Fundación San Prudencio de Vitoria-Gasteiz, a non-profit entity in management and application of Social Responsibility in Álava companies. They held a meeting with the members of the Foundation's board of trustees and attended an open dialogue on the impact of COVID-19 on activities and users of the Foundation. Their Majesties toured the musculoskeletal treatment space within the area that the Foundation dedicates to occupational health, along with the Foundation's Headquarters. During the pandemic, the Foundation has carried out various initiatives to help alleviate the negative effects caused by COVID-19.  ​​

Their Majesties accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses Leonor, Princess of Asturias, and Infanta Sofia, paid tribute to the victims of COVID-19 and frontline workers, with a solemn ceremony at Plaza de la Armería, Palacio Real de Madrid.

The Spanish Royal Family were received by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez.

The journalist Ana Blanco acted as master of ceremonies, Blanco welcomed and lit the cauldron, giving way to the institutional statements of the representatives of the victims of COVID-19 and health workers.

The ceremony to honour the victims of COVID-19 and frontline workers began, King Felipe VI and Leonor, Princess of Asturias, accompanied by the representatives of victims and health workers, laid white roses next to the cauldron. During this time, Samuel Barber's requiem and Johannes Brahms' 'Song of the Spirit' was performed by the Radio Televisión Española orchestra. 

His Majesty gave a speech and the ceremony concluded with the interpretation of the poem 'Silencio', by Octavio Paz, followed by a minute of silence.  ​​​

Queen Letizia wore her blue Carolina Herrera piped sheath dress which we first saw her wear in the new official portraits released earlier this year.

The full ceremony can be viewed on YouTube:

The King and Queen of Spain continued their tour to all of the Autonomous Communities with a day trip to Vinuesa and Soria in the region of Castilla y León. The objective is to support the recovery of social, economic and citizen activity following the COVID-19 lockdown.

Their Majesties arrived in Vinuesa, a municipality located in the province of Soria. They held a meeting with institutional representatives and experts from the Autonomous Community.  After the meeting, the King and Queen toured the town and conversed with a group of elders, who informed them of how their lives had developed in Vinuesa, including the future prospects with the commitment to rural and sustainable tourism.

Already in Soria, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia arrived at the Antonio Machado de Soria Institute of Secondary Education, they held a meeting with representatives of different sectors of the province, they were notified of future projects and the current situation in Soria.

Their Majesties then toured the city centre, concluding their trip at the Palacio de la Audiencia de Soria where they saw a model of the city that commemorates the 900th anniversary of the founding of Soria, which was celebrated in 2019. ​​

The King and Queen of Spain presided over the gala dinner of the 100th edition of the ABC International Journalism Awards: Mariano de Cavia, Luca de Tena and Mingote Award, at the ABC Headquarters in Madrid.

ABC is a daily newspaper - the third-largest general-interest newspaper in Spain and the oldest newspaper still operating in Madrid. ​ The publishing company convenes its three International Journalism Awards to recognise the career and the best journalistic works published by publishing companies in their media, in the categories of journalism, graphic journalism and drawing, throughout 2019.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia presented the prizes, a bronze statuette of the sculptor Onieva. King Felipe VI gave a speech of hope and thanked the press for their efforts during the harshest days of the pandemic. The act concluded with a dinner in honour of the winners.

Queen Letizia brought back the ravishing red Roberto Torretta strapless dress first seen on the final evening of the State Visit to Argentina in March 2019 (shown below).

She again teamed the cocktail dress with her black Bottega Veneta's 'Knot' clutch bag and Manolo Blahnik 'Gotrianc' Slingbacks 105 heels.

Tonight, Letizia changed up her jewelry and opted to wear her Aldao Joyeros ruby cabochon and diamond dangle earrings and gold Karen Hallam signature ring.

The King and Queen of Spain continued their tour to all of the Autonomous Communities with a day trip to La Rioja. The objective is to support the recovery of social, economic and citizen activity following the COVID-19 lockdown.

Their Majesties day began with a visit to Haro Estación Enológica (Haro Wine Station) located in the heart of Haro. The Haro Wine Station was founded in 1892, as a research centre for Rioja wine, with the aim to expand into new markets and update Rioja winemakers on new methods of winemaking. 

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia moved to R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia - the oldest in Haro and one of the first houses in the Rioja region. Their Majesties toured the oldest area of the underground galleries and were informed of the development processes and facilities. Before leaving, the royal couple held a meeting with representatives from the wine sector. ​

The King and Queen travelled to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, the town that enters the Camino de Santiago, known as the Way of St. James, a network of pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great. They concluded their day visiting the Roman Catholic Catedral de Santo Domingo de la Calzada.  

Queen Letizia wore a black fine knit top and slim trousers which she offset with her Uterqüe 'Ethnic collection' jacket.

We first spotted Her Majesty wearing the statement jacket in 2015, and this marked its forth appearance. 

Upon arrival in Haro, Queen Letizia was seen carrying a black long strap shoulder bag.

It is the Adolfo Dominguez vachetta leather mini bucket bag (€190).  Featuring a minimalistic design, this bag has a single compartment, metal stopper closure and adjustable shoulder strap.

On her feet were her black Castañer Carina 80 Wedge Espadrilles. They are currently available at Browns Fashion and Farfetch for US$80.

Letizia finished the look with her understated gold bamboo design huggie hoop earrings and her  beloved Karen Hallam signature ring.​

The King and Queen of Spain continued their tour to all of the Autonomous Communities with a day trip to Aragon. The objective is to support the recovery of social, economic and citizen activity following the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Their Majesties day began in the heart of the Aragonese Pyrenees with a visit to the Monasterio Viejo de San Juan de la Peña (Old Monastery of San Juan de la Peña). It was one of the most prominent monasteries in Aragon in the Middle Ages. Its two-level church is partially carved in the stone of the great cliff that overhangs the foundation. San Juan de la Peña means 'Saint John of the Cliff'. 

Later King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia moved to Jaca, the capital of the Aragonese Pyrenees. They toured its streets and most emblematic areas of the city. The director of the Museo Diocesano explained to Their Majesties the tradition of placing a white flag on the highest point of the Cathedral, a symbol that indicates that the city is free of an epidemic which gave free passage to the pilgrims who had to follow the Camino de Santiago. 

To conclude their day the Royal Couple moved to the Pabellón de Hielo (Ice Pavilion), where they held a working meeting with representatives of the Aragón tourism sector. They discussed the Aragón Tourism Sector Shock Plan to combat the crisis generated by COVID-19. ​

The King and Queen of Spain continued their tour to all of the Autonomous Communities with a day trip to the region of Murcia. The objective is to support the recovery of social, economic and citizen activity following the COVID-19 lockdown. ​

Their Majesties first event of the day was a visit to the fruit and vegetable cooperative Frutas La Carrichosa S.C.L, in the town of Cieza. 

They attended an information session on the fruit and vegetable sector and toured the cooperative's processing plant, before heading to the fields where pears, peaches and grapes are collected. ​

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia later travelled to the Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), in the Murcian capital. Research groups at the IMIB are actively involved in the the scientific and technological fight against COVID-19. In total 16 studies are currently active, including the world's first clinical trial to test whether defibrotide serves as a therapy against COVID-19.

Their Majesties tour of the institute included the cytometry laboratory, cultures, the central registry office for biobank samples, proteomics and experimental cardiology.

Arm goals!

Queen Letizia brought back the ultrafeminine separates we saw during her visit to Haiti in 2018. I have the outfit break down below.

Their Majesties, accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses, Leonor, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía, attended a Eucharist for the victims of COVID-19 at Catedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena, Madrid.

The King and Queen of Spain continued their tour to all of the Autonomous Communities with a day trip to Benidorm and Valencia in the Valencian Community. The objective is to support the recovery of social, economic and citizen activity following the COVID-19 lockdown.  ​

Their Majesties arrived in Benidorm and held a meeting with representatives of the Business Confederation of the Valencian Community and trade union organisations.

Subsequently, they made a short tour of the Levante beach, stopping off at a traditional ice cream parlour and conversed with beach maintenance and management workers. ​

In the afternoon King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia travelled to Valencia where they strolled along the Malvarrosa beach promenade.

The royal couple later presided over the presentation ceremony of the 2019 National Innovation and Design Awards at the Museo de las Ciencias (Science Museum). 

The National Innovation and Design Awards recognises individuals and entities that have made innovation an essential element in the development of their professional strategy and business growth, including professionals who have contributed significantly to the prestige of Spanish design and to the entities that have shown that design is a powerful tool for innovation and competitiveness.

​Queen Letizia gave us a double dose of déjà vu outfits for the day trip to the Valencia region.  Her first outfit consisted of the floral print Adolfo Domínguez midi dress.

You may recall, Letizia first wore this fit-and-flare frock for last year's official summer photocall at Marivent Palace in Palma.

Today she teamed it with her recently acquired pink Macarena 'Alba6' suede espadrilles.

Letizia looked chic in her Carolina Herrera New York cat-eye sunglasses, and finished the look with her gold bamboo design huggie hoop earrings.

For her second ensemble, Her Majesty brought make the red halter neck midi dress.

It was first seen at last year's Balearic Islands reception, and again during the State visit to Cuba in November. The designer of the piece remains unknown.

​Today, Queen Letizia accessorized with her Carolina Herrera 'Maysa' clutch bag and red  slingbacks, also by the Venezuelan fashion designer.

A pair of large gold hoop earrings completed the elegant ensemble.

The King and Queen of Spain continued their tour to all of the Autonomous Communities with a day trip to Cuenca in Castilla-La Mancha. The objective is to support the recovery of social, economic and citizen activity following the COVID-19 lockdown. ​

For Their Majesties first event of the day, they visited the Centro Ocupacional y Granja Escuela El Terminillo de ASPADEC (Occupational Center and School Farm El Terminillo of ASPADEC) in the province of Cuenca. ASPADEC is a non-profit association established in 1980, it supports people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families. The King and Queen toured the facilities, occupational workshops and farm before participating in a meeting with the president of ASPADEC and board of the association and users of the centre. 

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia arrived at Plaza Mayor de Cuenca, they travelled on foot to Museo de Arte Abstracto Español where they toured several rooms. The Museum was inaugurated in 1966 in the Hanging Houses of Cuenca to house the private collection of the painter Fernando Zóbel.  In recent years the current manager, the Juan March Foundation has enriched the museum with pieces by younger artists. ​