The Government and Casa Real have agreed on the royal visits to Ceuta and Melilla, scheduled for 13 and 14 October 2026, respectively. Pedro Sánchez will not accompany Felipe VI and Letizia; a Government minister will join the monarchs on both days. This will be Felipe VI’s first official visit to both cities since he became king in 2014, RTVE reports.
The question is the level of government representation alongside the King and Queen. The royal programme is unchanged. Sources from the Executive cited by EFE say the minister assigned for each day will accompany the monarchs along their route in both cities. The Government says this follows normal Spanish protocol: the president does not perform that role; the minister assigned to the day does.
The dates had been awaiting final confirmation. That is now settled, with Ceuta scheduled for 13 October and Melilla for 14 October 2026. No other change to the itinerary has been reported.
Casa Real and the Government have not yet published the detailed agenda. The visit is being framed as a impressive symbolic event against the backdrop of the migration crisis and the mass entry of people into Ceuta from Morocco two and a half months earlier.
The institutional format is now clear: the monarchs will make the trip, and the Government will send the designated minister instead of Sánchez. Readers following the royal schedule can compare this clarification with the earlier royal itinerary.
For Ceuta and Melilla, the immediate development is the King and Queen’s arrival on consecutive days. Moncloa and Spanish media, including RTVE, report the same explanation from the Government: the minister assigned for the day is the proper representative for the royal route.
The statement reports no dispute between the institutions or cancellation. Officials describe the arrangement as a protocol decision. Sánchez will not accompany the monarchs, but the visits remain scheduled for 13 and 14 October 2026.
