King Don Felipe and Doña Letizia have led the Spanish delegation that attended the funeral of Pope Francis. A delegation from which the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has decided not to be part of without further explanation, because this Saturday he has no public agenda.
Accompanying the Kings to the funeral were also the Vice Presidents María Jesús Montero and Yolanda Díaz, as well as the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños; the leader of the opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo; and the Ambassador to the Holy See, Isabel Celáa.
The Kings took advantage of the minutes before the Pope's body was taken outside the Basilica to pay their respects to the Supreme Pontiff. Thus, King Felipe and Queen Letizia arrived at the church eight minutes before 10 in the morning. They remained around two minutes before the Pope's coffin and then headed outside, where the delegation separated, each to their seats.
Queen Letizia has dispensed with the privilege that allows her to attend with Spanish mantilla and peineta. Dressed in strict mourning, she wore on the left side of her dress the pearl brooch surrounded by diamonds that Queen Victoria Eugenia left in the batch of jewels to pass on, the jewels reserved for the Queens of Spain. She also wore a discreet piece of black lace covering her hair.
The Vatican protocol decided to place the international leaders in French alphabetical order, so King Felipe and Queen Letizia sat between the President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, and the President of Estonia, Alar Karis. Next were the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and his wife, Melania.
The Kings greeted their fellow row companions first, but numerous leaders, upon noticing the presence of the Spanish Head of State, approached to pay their respects, turning it into a sort of high-level kissing of the hand. The French Emmanuel Macron and the heir of Abu Dhabi, among others, shook hands with the Kings.
Spain is the only parliamentary monarchy where the Prime Minister did not accompany the Crown to the funeral. Keir Starmer was with Prince William and Alexander de Croo with the King and Queen of Belgium.
It is true that if Pedro Sánchez had attended, he would not be seated in the same row as the Kings according to protocol. But it is also true that since last Friday when international leaders began arriving in Rome, informal meetings have been held, at a crucial moment for the international order, as peace is being negotiated between Russia and Ukraine.
For instance, despite Trump leaving aboard Air Force One after the religious ceremony, his team made time for the President of the United States to have a significant bilateral meeting. Thus, Trump sat on the side of St. Peter's Basilica next to the Ukrainian President, Volodimir Zelenski, with whom he shared a few quick minutes of conversation where each expressed their point of view. The American also had contacts with the Italian Giorgia Meloni, a sort of host at the international meeting and his counterpart to the 27.