More than two years after the eruption of the Tajogaite volcano devastated large swathes of the island of La Palma, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain have returned—not as distant monarchs, but as compassionate leaders walking beside a community still healing.
On June 5, 2025, Their Majesties arrived on the “Isla Bonita,” accompanied by Fernando Clavijo, President of the Government of the Canary Islands, and Margarita Robles, Spain’s Minister of Defense. Their mission was clear: to listen, to witness, and to support the people whose lives were forever altered by one of Spain’s most destructive volcanic events in recent memory.
The royal itinerary began with a deeply symbolic stop at the Official Volcano Viewpoint (Mirador Oficial del Volcán), where they were joined by Sergio Rodríguez, President of the Cabildo de La Palma. From this vantage point, King Felipe and Queen Letizia gazed upon the vast swaths of land still cloaked in hardened lava—the same molten tide that buried homes, livelihoods, and entire communities under a thick, unforgiving blanket of destruction in late 2021. But amid the blackened terrain, there are flickers of hope: signs of reconstruction, rebirth, and resilience. The royal couple were visibly moved as they took in the contrast between devastation and determined rebuilding—new homes rising where the lava once flowed.
Later in the day, the royal couple returned to the Plaza de La Laguna in Los Llanos de Aridane, a place etched into memory as one of the lava’s “zero zones.” It was here, during their first visit in 2021, that they stood amid smoke and uncertainty. Today, the setting was different—but the pain still palpable. In a deeply human roundtable, Felipe and Letizia listened to voices that represented the full spectrum of La Palma’s tragedy and tenacity:
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Families who rebuilt or relocated
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School officials who fought to keep classrooms open
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Business owners who lost everything
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Banana and avocado farmers whose fertile lands were turned to stone
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Fishermen and tradesmen displaced by the altered coastline
What Queen Letizia Wore for her visit to Palma
- Adolfo Dominguez Belted Cargo Jacket – Repeat Debuted September 2018
- White Top – Repeat
- Mango Relaxed Fit Jeans – Repeat – Debuted February 2020
- Gold & Roses Shewel Triple Hoops – Repeat – Debuted in September 2022
- Coreterno Ring – Repeat – debuted in January 2024
- Vivobarefoot Geo Court III Trainers – Repeat – Debuted May 2024