It was time to get up early. Three Kings morning in the homes of Spain. Felipe VI and Letizia have moved from Zarzuela to the Royal Palace of Madrid to preside over Military Easter. It is the first appointment of the official agenda of this 2023 for the monarch and his wife, which is celebrated this Friday, January 6. A solemn military act that marks the beginning of the military year, takes stock of 2022 and advances the lines of action for the next twelve months.
Sunny morning in the capital. The act has begun at 12:00. The accredited media are in a space inside the Gasparini Room. The thermometer reads 8 degrees.
Don Felipe and Doña Letizia have entered the Plaza de la Armería through the gate, in front of the Almudena Cathedral. An Honors squadron of the Royal Guard was in formation to the right of the square. The Kings have been received in the greeting line by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez; the Defense Minister, Margarita Robles; the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska; and the Chief of Defense Staff (JEMAD), Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón.
After the greeting, Felipe VI and his wife went up to the wooden podium, which has been carpeted in red, the King’s script. They have listened to the national anthem, interpreted by the Company of Honors and the 21 cannon salutes have sounded. Don Felipe VI, in the uniform of the Air Force, has reviewed the troops of the Royal Guard. While the Queen has had a conversation with Marlaska. To the right of her, walked the president and Robles.
The Kings have moved to the Throne Room to preside over the central act of this traditional ceremony. His Majesties were accompanied, in addition to Sánchez, by government ministers, civil authorities and a large representation of the three armies of the Armed Forces.
In 2022, Doña Letizia wore the symbolic Peregrina II pearl on the left lapel of a midnight blue design. This year the queen has chosen a burgundy dress that follows the lines of the protocol of this military act to the millimeter. She has opted for a sober, serene and austere look with her black Carolina Herrera cape that she likes so much. The traditional dress code of this act is marked by a long dress, in the case of women; and jacket, in the case of civilians. For the military, dress uniform.