It was meant to be a quiet, celebratory outing. On Saturday in Llanes, a coastal town in Asturias, Queen Letizia walked onto the deck of a small fishing boat with King Felipe and their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía. Then she slipped.
The family had just presented the 2026 Exemplary Town of Asturias Award to the Santa Ana Fishermen’s Guild, and a short tour of the boat followed. Footage obtained by HOLA!, the sister publication of HELLO!, shows the 54-year-old queen losing her footing and hitting the deck. Aides hurried over, but she got back to her feet without help.
A choppy week at sea
Whether the royals would board at all had been uncertain. The sea had been rough, and the day before the visit high waves were splashing over the vessel’s deck.
Leonor spoke at the event, recalling how women in the area “would put on their rodiellu (a type of net) on their heads and travel throughout the municipality and beyond”. She added that “one Saturday, more or less like this one, but over 500 years ago”, a namesake of hers had come to the town and “was very pleased with what she saw”.
The family together
The outing was something of a reunion. Sofia is in her second year at Forward College, having spent the first in Lisbon before moving to Paris, and she is due to finish her studies in Berlin in 2027. Leonor started higher education last month at Carlos III University of Madrid, after three years of military training. Earlier in the week all four had attended the 34th Princess of Asturias Awards Concert.
Letizia’s recent weeks have had other awkward beats. Earlier this month, at a reception for ambassadors and representatives from Ceuta and Melilla, one ambassador ignored the outstretched hands of Letizia, Leonor and Sofia. Some people online called it disrespectful, though it is believed he declined for religious and cultural reasons. Iranian custom, the account goes, holds that a man should not shake a woman’s hand unless she offers it first.
September brought a happier public moment. For the welcome of French President Emmanuel Macron on his state visit, Letizia stood with his wife, Brigitte Macron, in a lilac midi dress with colourful floral detailing, a counterpoint to the French First Lady’s Barbie pink suit.
As consort, Letizia has no constitutional functions of her own. Her work is public representation of the Crown, usually alongside Felipe, and patronage of numerous charities and organisations. Nothing in the account of Saturday’s fall suggests she was hurt.
Sources
- Queen Letizia of Spain suffers fall on boat trip with family
- Queen Letizia of Spain
- Queen Letizia suffers embarrassing moment as she falls during royal engagement
Photo: Elena Ternovaja (CC BY-SA 3.0)
