King Felipe celebrates his 55th birthday
King Felipe VI of Spain celebrates his 55th birthday on a day without official events and with major absences
Day marked in red on the calendar of the Royal Family. This Monday, January 30, King Felipe VI turns 55. A round figure that, as usual, he will celebrate privately with an intimate meal at the Zarzuela Palace with Doña Letizia, his daughter Sofía and, probably, the Queen Emeritus, Doña Sofía.
Day without events
Ahead, a day without events for both the monarch and the Queen, who has cleared her institutional agenda to enjoy her husband's birthday.
Princess Leonor will not be present
A celebration in which there will be a notable absence, that of Princess Leonor, who is studying the last year of International Baccalaureate at the prestigious UWC College in Wales and for the moment the date on which she will return to our country is unknown, although it is assumed that coinciding with Easter she will enjoy a short vacation period that will allow her to reconnect with her family.
Without Infanta Cristina
The Infanta Cristina is also not expected to be present at the meal, although Her Majesty has moved closer to her sister after her separation from Iñaki Urdangarín. After several years in which they avoided coinciding — even in private — this Christmas the long-awaited reunion took place thanks to the efforts of Queen Emerita, who organized a meal attended by her three children and all her grandchildren.
Neither did King Juan Carlos
Who will not be present at the birthday either will be King Juan Carlos, installed in Abu Dhabi, with plans to move his tax residence to the Emirate and with no plans to travel to Spain for the moment although it is something he is looking forward to, as he has confessed to his closest friends and family.
Good relationship
Although much has been said about the estrangement of Don Felipe and the Emeritus, their affectionate greeting — with two affectionate kisses and a caress on the back — at the funeral of Constantine of Greece has been the best proof that father and son have a good relationship.
Absences
A birthday marked by absences — both of family and official acts — that King Felipe would have celebrated in advance this weekend with Queen Letizia and the prestigious dermatologist Pedro Jaén, a good friend of the monarchs, in the central Madrid restaurant 'Ferretería'.
Pre-celebration
As published by 'Vanitatis', the King and Queen entered the restaurant at around 11:30 p.m. and opted for an area of high tables in a visible part of the restaurant, with a menu that focuses on seasonal and national products.
Very close
Very close, they did not hesitate to greet the diners who approached them and, after dinner, they left the place walking, oblivious to the stares they aroused as they passed by.
Illumination of monuments
In the absence of a public celebration by Don Felipe, many cities in Spain will illuminate in red — until this Monday at 23:59 hours — some of its most emblematic buildings and monuments to celebrate the 55th birthday of His Majesty.
Special greeting
The Cibeles or the Real Casa de Correos in Madrid, the Real Maestranza in Seville, or the palaces and castles that belong to the National Network of Castles and Palaces of Spain will be dyed crimson to congratulate the King in a very special way.
Public reappearance
Felipe VI will make his public reappearance this Tuesday in Barcelona, where he will preside over the inauguration of the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) Fair and the IOT Solutions World Congress (IOTSWC) at the Fira de Barcelona's Gran Vía venue, before presiding over the award ceremony for the LXXI Promotion of the Judicial Career and the XXII Promotion of the Fourth Shift at the Forum Auditorium of the Barcelona Convention Center.