In Melilla More than 300 shops across the city are taking part in a welcome campaign for the visit by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia on 14 October. According to the city council, official posters and commemorative images have been distributed since 10 October, and large-format display boards have also been put up in the city centre. The aim is to make the state visit visible across the city and involve residents in the preparatory events.
The central meeting point is Plaza de España named. The Casa Real has scheduled an official visit and institutional engagements in Melilla for 14 October. The King and Queen will visit Ceuta on 13 October. The regional president of Ciudad Autónoma, Juan José Imbroda, described the visit as a sign of normalisation and Melilla’s integration into the state framework.
Alongside the distribution of the materials, the city announced further preparations: the Palacio de la Asamblea will be illuminated, and along Avenida Juan Carlos I banners have been installed. City council staff will have a partial day off on 14 October so that residents can attend the welcome events. The education authorities have received calls for flexible school arrangements that day; representatives of the local Muslim community welcomed the visit in a letter to the Casa Real.
The city council says that traffic routes will be adjusted, barriers put in place and additional services deployed on the day of the visit. Specific police details have not been released for security reasons. According to the authorities, the measures are intended to ensure orderly access to the Plaza de España and the surrounding areas.
The visit to Melilla is part of a two-day trip to Ceuta and Melilla. According to consistent media reports, it is the first official visit by a Spanish royal couple to the two cities since 2007. The city council bases its information on the campaign and preparations on its own announcements; regional media such as El Faro de Melilla have also reported on programme venues and schedules. The sources cited differ in their political assessments of the trip’s impact; there are no reliable data on this, and no speculation is offered here.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).