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Felipe VI y Letizia will visit Ceuta y Melilla after 19 years without a head of state visit
The royal couple will travel to the two autonomous cities on 13 and 14 October and will spend the night in Ceuta, something no head of state has done in the democratic era.
Felipe VI y Letizia will begin their visit to Ceuta y Melilla this Tuesday, a day after the Fiesta Nacional. The trip, agreed between the Casa Real and the Government, will be the first by a head of state since the visit by Juan Carlos I and Sofía in 2007.
The schedule will combine institutional meetings, visits to schools, and gatherings with representatives from both cities. In Ceuta, the royals will also take part in a tribute to those who died at sea during the migration crisis at the end of July.
The monarchs will spend the night in Ceuta before travelling to Melilla on Wednesday. The visit aims to show the Crown’s support for the population and to normalise its presence in the two autonomous cities.
Tuesday 13: Ceuta
12:30: arrival at the Town Hall, reception by the authorities, working meeting, and presentation of the keys to the city. There will also be a meeting with the Consejo de Gobierno.
Afterwards: visit to the Vicente Aleixandre school.
18:00: ecumenical ceremony at the Sidi Embarek Muslim cemetery in memory of those who died at sea on 30 and 31 July.
19:00: meeting with representatives of Ceuta’s society at the Parador, where Felipe VI will give a speech.
Wednesday 14: Melilla
11:45: visit to the city’s Assembly.
In the afternoon: visit to the Pintor Eduardo Morillas school.
17:45: meeting with representatives of Melilla’s society and a speech by the king.
The trip takes place in a sensitive diplomatic context with Morocco. The previous royal visit, in 2007, triggered a crisis between the two countries; the possible repercussions of this new visit are still being analysed.