This is how Felipe and Letizia’s mood with King Juan Carlos for Queen Isabel’s funeral has been resolved

The new great gathering of world kings already has a date and place. It is next Monday, September 19, when London’s Westminster Abbey receives the visit of the most important representatives of the royal houses. The solemn reason is none other than the state funeral in memory of Queen Elizabeth, who passed away on September 8 at the age of 96. It is time to pay tribute and respect to the longest serving monarch in Europe, who sat on the throne for seven decades. A great opportunity to see the royals in action again. The Spanish royal family has received a formal invitation via an “oral note” sent to the Spanish embassy in the United Kingdom last Sunday. Don Felipe and Doña Letizia have already confirmed their presencehow could it be otherwise, but the heart of the matter is that the invitation is addressed to the emeritus kings, Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía.

This is a hugely controversial issue, as it has been said in recent days during the rallies that Zarzuela expressed his wish that Juan Carlos I would not be present at the funeral in honor of his nephew. Everyone is well aware of the special situation in which the deposed Spanish king lives. In this sense, a close friend of Felipe VI’s father, the journalist Carlos Herrera, warned of the Windsors’ intentions to ensure the presence of the emeritus in Westminster: “Are they going to pass the invitation on to King Juan Carlos, who would you willing to go when you receive it unless Zarzuela or the government told you no?” Anyway, the king emeritus “would heed the recommendation” that came to him from Zarzuela or from Moncloa,” reported the communicator.

A very hot potato for Felipe and Letizia, who, despite their wish not to be present, were able to draw a historical picture of the emeritus kings. In each case, it remains to be seen what the final decision of Juan Carlos himself is. Of course you want to be there, but you also have to take other factors into account given your situation. The ball is in his court, but in that sense it should be noted that Queen Sofía may cause a drop as she has a trip to the United States a few days before and it is doubted she will be able to arrive on time. Confirming his presence would mean his reunion with his still wife, son and daughter-in-law, after the one he had months ago visiting Sanxenxo. It should be remembered that Elizabeth II was a cousin of Queen Sofia through the branch of Prince Philip of Edinburgh, of Greek descent. And those aren’t the only ties since Juan Carlos’ paternal grandmother, Queen Victoria Eugenia, wife of Alfonso XIII, was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England, great-great-grandmother of Elizabeth II. Don Juan Carlos and Queen Isabella were fourth-degree cousins.

It is the Royal House that has reported this situation with an official note: “The Embassy of Spain in the United Kingdom received an oral note from the British Foreign Office yesterday, Sunday, in which it is sent to the diplomatic delegations of Belgium. , Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain the invitations to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II next Monday the 19th and parallel events are planned”. But at the heart of the letter it says that “the invitations are addressed to the Heads of State and former Heads of State and wives or husbands of these countries and the Crown Prince of Denmark. Their Majesties the King and Queen have accepted the invitation and The House of HM the King has conveyed to HM King Juan Carlos and HM Queen Sofia the invitation they have received”. Now the final verdict of Juan Carlos is awaited: “The House of HM the King is waiting for Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofia to inform them of their personal decision”concludes the note. Soon we will leave doubts behind.