The festivities have returned to the Palace, although with restrictions still due to the covid.
This Tuesday, June 16, the Kings have received the president of South Korea,
Moon Jae-In
, who has arrived in Spain accompanied by his wife,
Kim Jung Sook.
It was five thirty in the afternoon when the South Korean presidential couple arrived in one of the Royal House cars, escorted by the Royal Guard on horseback, to the esplanade of the Royal Palace. There, the Kings and the representatives of the highest powers of the State awaited the visit, which they have received
with the highest honors
, although adapted to the pandemic. To maintain a distance of five feet, the
number of royal guards
has been reduced to 130, from the 370 who used to participate in these ceremonies before the pandemic.
As soon as we got out of the car, two
solicitous translators
stood behind the guests and the Kings.
They were hired to help in the conversation, on the one hand between Don Felipe and Moon Jae-in and on the other between Doña Letizia and the first lady.
After the interpretation of the national anthems, they have reviewed the Royal Guard and have witnessed a military parade.
Evening reception with honors
Already inside the Palace, the classic
exchange of gifts has taken place
. The Kings of Spain have given Moon Jae-In
a
1/50 scale handmade
reproduction
of the 16th century Victoria ship in which Juan Sebastián Elcano completed, for the first time, the round the world and the
book
"Atlas of Spanish Exploration and Discovery "of the Spanish Geographical Society. The first lady has been given a sculpture of
a Jacobean shell
carved in a serpentine gem that comes from the same site that the material with which the bas-reliefs of the old cathedral of Santiago were carved and
a four
with a pen drawing of the esplanade of the Obradoiro square in Santiago de Compostela.
Both have been made by the artist Cándido Pazo.
The Kings have received as a gift
a royal painting
called "the sun, the moon and the five peaks", it is a traditional work that was placed on the back of the Throne in the Royal Palace of Korea.
Don Felipe has been given a
tea set
made with traditional Korean white porcelain and silver.
To the Queen,
some vases
made of recycled glass with a traditional Korean shape, as a symbol of Korea for a sustainable future.
At night, and with
three hours to change
and rest a bit, the first gala dinner has taken place after the pandemic. Of course, also subject to covid standards. On the one hand, the guest list has been greatly reduced. On the other,
the gala etiquettes
have been
dispensed with
and a dinner without tiaras or long shots has been opted for.
In the hand kisser, the comment that Don Felipe made to the President of Korea after Pedro Duque's greeting, perhaps explaining that he was our astronaut?
Also the reverence of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, shy but the only woman who has greeted the Kings like this, and the affectionate greeting of
Javier Solana to the King,
who has skipped the protocol of safety distances to shake his arms and then, stand for a few seconds with Doña Letizia.
Dinner at the PalacioGTRES
The Queen has recycled once more on this day. If in the afternoon he opted for a
Felipe Varela design
that he premiered on Hispanic Day 2018, at night he opted for a suit with oriental motifs that has been in his closet for a long time. It is a design by
Dries van Noten
that premiered in 2019 during the Francisco Cerecedo awards ceremony.
After the short hand kissing, in which Doña Letizia has
renounced the greeting with her hand on her heart
and has opted for a slight body bow, all the guests have moved to the living room for dinner. Both the King and the President of Korea have delivered their respective speeches, which have ended with a toast in which we have finally seen
the Queen without a mask,
something she does not renounce even in her speeches to be cautious. Casa Real has replaced the classic long table with round tables in order to maintain a safety distance.
The Kings have turned to the president of Korea and his wife, whom they met in October 2019, when they went on
a state trip to the country.
For this reason, on June 16, the President of Korea will attend the dinner organized by the Cercle d'Economy in Barcelona with the King, while Doña Letizia will visit the facilities of the ONCE Foundation with the first lady.
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