Juan José Imbroda is urging residents to fill Plaza de España on 14 October as Felipe VI and Letizia make their first official visit to Melilla since the king's accession in 2014, EFE reported. The confirmed programme gives the visit a formal role beyond the planned public welcome.
The monarchs are due at the Assembly of Melilla at 11:45, the first formal stop of their visit. They will meet representatives of the autonomous government and hear about the city's particular circumstances. Later, at 16:15, they are scheduled to visit CEIP Pintor Eduardo Morillas. The day's programme concludes at 17:45 with a meeting at the Melilla Puerto hotel, where the king will deliver a speech to representatives of local society.
Imbroda wants residents to recreate the reception given to Juan Carlos I and doña Sofía nearly twenty years ago. The official programme confirms a stop at the Assembly and a school visit, then a meeting at the hotel, but does not specify how large a gathering in the square is expected.
Imbroda has linked his appeal to what he describes as Melilla's unquestionable Spanish identity. He traces that identity to a history dating from 1497 and says the visit will give residents a chance to reaffirm their attachment to the Head of State and the national project.
He says an enthusiastic reception would project a hopeful present and positive future, while showing the historical relationship between the Spanish monarchy and Melilla. EFE and other Spanish media have confirmed the institutional itinerary, which combines a formal programme with a public welcome.
The royal trip begins in Ceuta on 13 October. Felipe VI and Letizia are due to spend the night there before travelling to Melilla the following day. EFE reports this will be the first time in democratic Spain that a head of state spends the night in Ceuta.
The overnight stay in Ceuta adds another layer of symbolism to the journey. The previous royal visit to both autonomous cities came in 2007, when Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía stayed in Málaga. That trip contributed to a diplomatic crisis with Morocco. The current visit comes amid migration pressures and continued sensitivities around the border with Morocco.
Preparations are visible at the Palacio de la Asamblea. The building set to host the first stop has been illuminated in Spain's red and yellow. The lights are due to remain on until the day after the monarchs leave.
A recent visit by Brigitte Macron to Madrid ended at the French ambassador's residence. In Melilla, the programme includes meetings with autonomous authorities and local society, as well as a school visit. The public response to Imbroda's call in the square remains another part of the visit.
The size of that response is the basic unresolved variable. The confirmed schedule sets out the royal couple's movements, while the authorities' appeal seeks a visible public welcome on 14 October.
Imbroda wants the formal itinerary to become a collective demonstration of loyalty and belonging. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is not expected to accompany the monarchs. Elma Saiz, the minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, has said she will join the king and queen on 13 and 14 October, representing the central government.
The trip is taking place amid migration and border tensions. The official schedule gives the Crown a chance to hear directly from authorities in both autonomous cities, along with representatives of civil society.
