Today on his 50th birthday His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain imposed the Necklace of the distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece on the Princess of Asturias Leonor, in an act attended by Queen Letizia, Infanta Doña Sofía, King Juan Carlos, and Queen Sofía at the Royal Palace of Madrid.
The ceremony was performed in the presence of Government members, dignitaries, and many special guests.
The ceremony started with the National Anthem, and then the Royal Decree of Concession of the Necklace of the distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece was read to the Princess of Asturias.
Next, the King set, on the dress of the Princess of Asturias the tie with the miniature of the fleece, symbol of the Insigne Order of the Golden Fleece.
During his speech, the King remarked, “Today, the Princess of Asturias receives the Golden Fleece Collar, deeply rooted in the History of Spain and Europe. An Order that for centuries has been granted -among others and singularly- to the Prince or Princess of Asturias from a very young age, so that over time he knows, little by little, the traditions and duties of the Crown and understands the responsibilities that one day he will have to assume.”
Addressing to his elder daughter and heiress apparent King Felipe VI said, “Receiving this Toisón implies special responsibilities for you, which you must assume inspired by the deepest values and ideals; values that you must hold and strengthen day by day in your heart; because your actions -all of them- must be guided by the greater sense of dignity and exemplarity, by honesty and integrity, by the capacity of renunciation and sacrifice, by the permanent spirit of improvement, and by your unreserved dedication to your country and your people. ”
Princess Leonor greeted her father upon receiving the Golden Fleece Collar.
After receiving the Golden Fleece Collar, Princess Leonor greeted her mother Queen Letizia, her sister, Infanta Sofia, Her Grandparents King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, and other guests.
Princess Leonor Greeting her grandparents.
After the act of imposition, the Royal Family moved to the parlor of Gasparini, where they received the greeting of the guests, among which were 20 winning children, 1 for each community and an autonomous city, plus the corresponding to the special education award, of the last three editions of the contest “What is a King for you?”, born in the years 2004, 2005 and 2006.
The Insigne Order of the Golden Fleece was created in 1430 by the Duke of Burgundy Philip III the Good, on the occasion of his marriage with Isabella of Portugal. Linked to the Family, and not to the Duchy of Burgundy, she passed, through the marriage of Duchess Maria with Emperor Maximilian, to her grandson Charles I of Spain, the Emperor Charles V. Since then, the Kings of Spain are the Sovereigns and Great Masters of the Order.
It was precisely Charles V who celebrated in 1520 in Barcelona the only Chapter of the Order that took place in Spain. Even today, the choir stalls of its cathedral bear the arms of the fifty-one knights who formed it at that time. After the last Chapter, celebrated in the Cathedral of San Bavón de Ghent in 1559, Felipe II reserved the right to appoint Knights in the vacancies and exercised it by directly naming Caballero to King Francisco II of France in 1560.
The Necklace of the Order, inspired by the myth of Jason, consists of a gold necklace with the arms of the Dukes of Burgundy, from which hangs the Fleece or Fleece, also of gold. The necklaces are the property of the Order, to which they must be returned to the death of each Knight.
Sovereigns and members of Royal Families and prominent personalities of the aristocracy, politics and weapons, Spanish and foreign have received the Toisón since its founding. The number of Necklaces delivered since then amounts to about one thousand two hundred.
In 1985, Don Juan Carlos granted for the first time the Toisón to reigning Sovereigns, who were the Queens Beatriz of the Netherlands and Margaret of Denmark, and in 1989 it was received by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
For the historical event, Queen Letizia once again chose her trusty designer Felipe Varela. She recycled her old wardrobe to keep the attention away from her sartorial choice.
She wore double crepe red ‘ Japanese Twin Ties ‘ coat and a sleeveless crimson velvet dress. This was the third time Queen wore this outfit. Last we saw the coat during a Mexico visit in November 2017.
The coat was originally retailed for € 795.00 and is still available on the Varela website for € 557.00.
Queen paired her outfit with Gold & Roses double dagger diamond earrings> and bespoke ‘ Kares ‘ burgundy suede clutch from Magrit.
Letizia wore Lodi ‘Sara’ ombre patent pumps.
On his birthday King Felipe send a personalized message on his official Twitter account thanking all the best wishes and wishing birthday to those who shared it with him. The tweet says, “Heartfelt thanks for all the congratulations I have received today. Each strengthens me in my day-to-day commitment to all Spaniards. And I take this opportunity to also congratulate those who today share with me his birthday.
Gracias de corazón por todas las felicitaciones que he recibido hoy. Cada una me refuerza en mi compromiso de servir día a día a todos los españoles. Y aprovecho para felicitar también a quienes hoy comparten conmigo su cumpleaños.
— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) January 30, 2018
To mark the 50th birthday palace released some candid videos of the royal family behind the doors. It was a nice gesture on behalf of King Felipe and Queen Letizia to show a glimpse of their regular life to the public.
