On Monday, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain travelled to Catalonia. Known for the lively beach resorts of Costa Brava as well as the Pyrenees Mountains, the region is famous for its Capital city Barcelona. The couple’s visit to the Autonomous community was part of their nation-wide tour after the pandemic of COVID-19.
The visit was initially planned for the previous week and had a long itinerary but due to the rise in cases of COVID-19 in Catalonia, the visit was cut short. The visit came amid the money laundering allegations against Felipe’s father King Juan Carlos. The Supreme court of Spain is investigating King Juan Carlos’s financial dealings in which he has reportedly hidden money, obtained from rail contracts, in Swiss accounts. In March King Felipe VI renounced his inheritance from his father Juan Carlos. The royal palace announced that King Juan Carlos would also stop receiving an annual grant of €194,000. Once a well-loved Monarch, King Juan Carlos was widely admired during his reign as he led Spain during a difficult democratic period. But towards the end of his reign, many scandals and corruption allegations that also involved his youngest daughter, Cristina, and her husband Iñaki Urdangarin, he had to abdicate and King Felipe became the Monarch.
The couple spent the day in the northeastern region visiting the Monastery of Santa María de Poblet in the town of Poblet and have had a meeting with the monks of the Benedictine community. Felipe and Letizia toured the Monastery of Poblet. The Monastery is the last resting place of many of the Kings and Queens of Aragon.
The visit continued through the cellar, the cloister, the kitchen, the refectory, the library, the old bedrooms, the Chapter Room, the church.
Some of the most outstanding elements of the monastery are the church, which follows the style of the Cistercian temples and where the altarpiece of the main altar, a Renaissance ensemble of white alabaster by Damià Forment are standing out proudly; the beautiful Gothic chapel of Saint George, built in the time of Alfons the Magnanimous (15th century), and the royal door, a grandiose Gothic construction flanked by two octagonal towers show the architectural genius.
King and Queen also saw an exhibition presenting the works of the painter Guinovart.
The Spanish Royal Couple was taken to the Royal Pantheon at the Monastery to see the tombs of Kings Alfonso I, his son Pedro. During the Middle Ages, the Royal Pantheon became a historical and cultural symbol where Cistercian monks live again.
Before leaving, Felipe and Letizia saw the area where the Benedictine community resides and held a meeting with the monks.
For the visit, Queen Letizia of Spain was looking elegant in pale blue Pedro Del Hierro Shirtdress. Letizia premiered the dress in April 2019 when she met with the President of the Republic of Mozambique during Mozambique visit.
Part of label’s Spring Summer 2019 ready-to-wear collection, the dress features shirt style collars, full sleeves, a belted waistline and a slightly asymmetric hemline.
A look at the back of the dress.
This time, Letizia paired the dress with Macarena Alba50 Cotton Crudo Wedges that she premiered in June this year.
She finished her look with her bezel stud earrings and
her Karen Hallam signature ring.