Juan Carlos I was the last Spanish monarch to visit both cities, in 2007. Nearly 19 years later, thousands gathered outside Melilla’s Palacio de la Asamblea on Wednesday, October 14, to greet King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Their two-day visit to Spain’s autonomous cities on the North African coast ended with the couple spending almost an hour among the crowd.
The royal visit began in Ceuta on Tuesday, October 13. That stop was covered in an earlier report. Felipe VI had not made an official visit to either city since becoming king in 2014.
People had been waiting outside the Assembly since early morning when Felipe VI and Letizia arrived around midday. They shook hands and posed for selfies as supporters called their names and chanted about Spain and the two cities. The Associated Press reported that thousands turned out and that the couple spent almost an hour greeting them.
Melilla President Juan José Imbroda welcomed the royals at the Palace of the Assembly. Government delegate Sabrina Moh Abdelkader attended. Fernando Barrio, acting head of the military command, was also there.
The programme brought Felipe together with local and central government representatives. Civil and military authorities also took part. He received the city’s Golden Basic and signed the book of honour. Members of the Assembly joined him for a photograph.
The official schedule also included a visit to Pintor Eduardo Morillas primary school. The royals then met representatives of Melilla’s civil society. The Royal Household described the trip as a show of support for the institutions and communities of Ceuta and Melilla.
The visit came amid a prolonged migration crisis and strained relations between Madrid and Rabat. Morocco claims sovereignty over the two Spanish territories. A mass influx of migrants into Ceuta about two and a half months earlier had increased pressure on local authorities. The previous royal visit to both cities, in 2007, triggered a diplomatic crisis with Morocco.
In Ceuta, Felipe VI said the two cities were an integral part of Spain’s political and national reality. He added that the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity were not negotiable. His appearance in Melilla on Wednesday brought the two-day visit to an end.
