Spanish Royal Family today attended the National Offering to the Apostle Santiago, Patron Saint of Spain at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Upon arrival King Felipe, Queen Letizia and their daughters, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofia, were welcomed with Military Honors. This was the first time when Leonor and Sofia joined their parents for the service.
The Offering to the Apostle is a ceremony instituted in 1643 by Felipe IV and throughout the years the tradition was maintained that Kings, heads of State or personalities with the highest responsibilities invoked divine benefits for human tasks from the Patron of Spain.
The welcome ceremony included the National Anthem and Felipe inspected the troops. The welcome honoured concluded with the Eagle Patrol flyovers covering the sky with the colours of the National Flag.
At the Pórtico de la Gloria of Cathedral, the Royals were welcomed by the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, Julián Barrio. The family toured the Cathedral.
The National offering took place at the central nave of the Cathedral. Concluding the National Offering, King Felipe said, “Today, in the Cathedral where all roads converge and where the Apostle Santiago lives for eternity, we renew the offering of a people that want to be grateful. Towards Compostela, there runs a Way that collects the spirit of all those who exist since the beginning of time. Its strength to attract and comfort people of all ages, origins and motivations lies in the fact that the Camino de Santiago brings together the capacity of all paths and trails to create larger communities that make living together more intense and more fruitful”.
After the ceremony, Felipe and his family saw the recently restored tabernacle and silver ornaments at the altar of the Cathedral.
The second stop of the day was Mayor’s office at the Pazo de Raxoi (headquarters of the Santiago de Compostela City Council and the presidency of the Xunta de Galicia), where the Royals signed the Golden visitor book.
A video of the day.
Now to Queen Letizia Style – Letizia brought back a floral number from her favourite designer Carolina Herrera. Letizia first wore the dress in October 2017 ahead of the Princess of Asturias Awards.
The dress belongs to the 2018 Spring Resort collection of the label. The blush pink Organza silk dress has playful blossoms in neon hues and classic floral appliqués. The dress features a fitted bodice with tied cuffs and a knee-length skirt.
The Queen teamed up the outfit with her Fuchsia Carolina Hererea slingback pumps and
a matching bag.
TOUS 18kt yellow gold, ruby and chrysoprase earrings complimented the outfit.
Her Karen Hallam ring was not missing.
For the day, Princess Leonor chose a gorgeous Fuchsia dress with puffed sleeves and paired it with her Carolina Herrera slingback pumps with kitten heels.
Infanta Sofia was wearing a turquoise green pleated dress with Carolina Herrera slingback flats.
Today’s event was the last engagement for Queen Letizia. The family will be heading to Mallorca for summer vacation soon. King Felipe has a couple of engagements this week along with a visit to Peru. We will see the family standing for the official photoshoot sometime later in the week.