Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited on 13 October 2026 Ceuta . The officially announced visit began with a reception at the Town Hall of the autonomous city. Outside the building, a large crowd greeted the King and Queen with Spanish flags, applause and chants, including repeated cries of “yo soy español”. The proceedings were covered by the Casa Real and national media in live broadcasts.
According to the Casa Real, the visit was intended to underline the Crown’s ties with the people of Ceuta. The agenda included talks with the city’s political representatives and meetings with civil society representatives. The stay in Ceuta was part of a short trip, which was scheduled to continue the following day with a stop in Melilla .
The central government and the city authorities pointed to ongoing local challenges surrounding the visit, including migration issues and Ceuta’s distinctive border situation. Official sources emphasised the institutional nature of the trip; political assessments were left to the governments concerned. For programme items mentioned by some media outlets, such as commemorative ceremonies, the authorities referred to the published schedule.
The national news agency EFE reported a large crowd along the ceremonial route and an overwhelmingly positive mood. RTVE and regional broadcaster RTVCE aired parts of the arrival and welcome live. The key points of the visit are confirmed: the reception at the town hall, talks with local authorities and the King and Queen’s public appearance in the city centre.
Along with Melilla, Ceuta is one of Spain’s two exclaves on the North African coast. Visits at the highest level of state always carry domestic and foreign policy significance in both cities. The visit on 13 October had already been announced by the Casa Real and EFE at the beginning of the month; further details followed in the days before the trip. For more information on the programme and participant lists, consult the Casa Real’s official press dossier.
This report draws on publicly available announcements from the Casa Real, EFE news agency reports, and broadcasts by RTVE and regional broadcaster RTVCE. Independently verified figures and exact participant lists were available in the official schedules at the time of publication and were confirmed in the key points.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).