Queen Letizia and King Felipe 'hidden' by Sanchez during Barcelona visit, opposition claim
SPAIN's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has come under fire after the country's main opposition party accused the Government of "hiding" a royal visit to Catalonia.
Queen Letizia and family pay tribute to coronavirus victims
Queen Letizia and King Felipe V attended a small and socially-distanced reception at the Albeniz Palace in Barcelona yesterday. During the event, the couple presented the prestigious Cervantes Prize for Literature in the Castilian language to poet and architect Joan Margarit.
Despite being considered one of the most important prizes for literature in Spain, the attendance of the Queen and King to this ceremony came as a surprise.
The visit to Barcelona was only announced once the royal couple had arrived at their destination.
However, the Spanish Royal Family usually publish their diary for the week ahead on Friday.
This delay in announcing King Felipe and Queen Letizia's visit to Catalonia was met with criticism by the leader of the biggest opposition party in Spain.
Pablo Casado Blanco, the leader of the conservative People's Party, wrote on Twitter earlier today: "In order not to disturb its pro-independence partners, the Government is even capable of hiding the royals when they travel to Catalonia..."
Mr Casado Blanco did not openly name any of the allies of Mr Sanchez.
However, only one of the parties within the governing coalition has openly questioned the role of the Crown in Spain.
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Mr Sanchez created a government coalition in January, after his party obtained 28.7 percent of the votes.
The Prime Minister's PSOE is currently in a left-leaning alliance with three left-wing parties united in the coalition Unidas Podemos and a few independent politicians.
Podemos, one of the three organisations within this alliance, is the only mainstream party that is seriously questioning the role of the monarchy in Spain.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia's visits to Catalonia have become increasingly controversial over the past three years, since the region held a referendum on its independence.
In 2017, the majority of people casting the ballot opted to break away from Madrid - but the central Government, then run by the Popular Party, declared the poll illegal.
In the height of tensions in Catalonia, in October 2017, King Felipe issued a rare and strongly-worded address to the country.
In his televised speech, the monarch accused Catalan authorities of putting at risk the wellbeing of the region and the whole of Spain.
He said: “These authorities have scorned the attachments and feelings of solidarity that have united and will unite all Spaniards.
“Their irresponsible conduct could even jeopardise the economic and social stability of Catalonia and all of Spain."
King Felipe and Queen Letizia have since visited Barcelona and the rest of the region multiple times - but their visits have been met with scorn by many secessionists.
During the summer, the royals toured the country to show support to individuals, associations and businesses after the first wave of coronavirus hit the country.
Their tour took them also to Catalonia - but their visit there appeared to be more low key than in other parts of the country, as they visited an isolated monastery rather than mingling with locals.
King Felipe is expected to be seen next on Christmas Eve, when he will deliver his annual speech to the country.