The Spanish Royal Household scheduled Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron's State Visit for 29 and 30 September 2026. The programme includes military honours and lunch at the Palacio de La Zarzuela. A gala dinner is also planned at the Palacio Real.
The welcome ceremony began at 13:15, ahead of lunch at the Palacio de La Zarzuela. Letizia wore the fitted Pertegaz design at the Palacio Real de Madrid, where the Spanish and French delegations met for the formal reception. RTVE and other news organisations placed the ceremony in the palace's Patio de Armerías. Emmanuel Macron's visit is the first State Visit by a French president to Spain since 2009.
A large bow rises from the round neckline. Raised floral embroidery covers the grey pearl fabric, giving the otherwise restrained dress a sculptural finish. Letizia chose discreet accessories, keeping the decoration in focus.
The dress also carries a clear reference to the royal wardrobe.
Pertegaz made the dress, putting another Spanish label in the spotlight. Manuel Pertegaz created the house and designed the Queen's wedding dress.
Letizia first wore the design on 18 October 2019 at audiences with the recipients of the Premios Princesa de Asturias in Oviedo. It was her first Pertegaz look since her wedding on 22 May 2004, when Jorge Vázquez was the brand's creative director. La Vanguardia and Vanitatis have also described Pertegaz as one of Spain's most recognisable fashion names. The Spanish Royal Household has scheduled King Felipe VI and Emmanuel Macron to open the Spain-France Trade and Investment Forum the day after the welcome.
The same dress has appeared at two other highly visible events. On 21 April 2022, Letizia wore it to a lunch at the Palacio Real for representatives of the literary world during the presentation of the Premio de Literatura en Lengua Castellana Miguel de Cervantes 2021. It was her first official look without a face mask after the COVID-19 health crisis.
She later chose the dress to receive the Sultan of Oman, Haitham Bin Tariq, at the start of his State Visit to Spain.
For the Madrid ceremony, Letizia wore Massimo Dutti slingback shoes first seen on her in 2023. She added small diamond button earrings and her two preferred rings, by Karen Hallam and Coreterno. The jewellery stayed understated, leaving the bow and raised floral work to draw the eye.
Madrid recently hosted a very different public story in a housing protest report. This time, the capital's public stage belonged to diplomatic protocol and royal dress.
Brigitte Macron chose a French fashion house for the occasion. She wore a pink midi dress with clean lines from Louis Vuitton and added a matching coat priced at 27,000 euros. Caramel suede pumps and several rings completed the outfit.
The two choices pointed in different directions. Letizia wore a Spanish archive design already tied to major appearances, while Brigitte Macron relied on one of her established French houses.
The gala dinner is still ahead, where a historic tiara is expected. The Pertegaz dress has already supplied the State Visit's defining visual moment.
