Spain’s King Juan Carlos (2nd from right) and Queen Sofia (right) with Peru’s President Alan Garcia and first lady Pilar Nores at the archaeological site of Chan Chan in Trujillo, Peru, on October 28, 2008.

Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Queen Spain were on a state visit to Peru from October 27-29, 2008. It was King Juan Carlos’ third state visit to the nation.

The Spanish royals met with Peru’s President Alan Garcia Perez at the Government Palace in Lima. King Juan Carlos met with various government officials, before the royal couple attended a dinner in their honor last Monday. King Juan Carlos was awarded Peru’s Medal of Honor in the Grade of Grand Cross in recognition of the friendship and cultural ties between the two countries.

On Tuesday, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia visited the Precolumbian archeological sites of Chan Chan and Huaca de la Luna. That evening, they attended a reception at the Spanish Embassy in Lima. Today, Wednesday the Spanish royals traveled to San Salvador to attend the 18th Iberoamerican Summit.

via SurinEnlish and Andina; image used with permission via Newscom

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Spain’s Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia were in Oviedo for the presentation ceremony of The Princes of Asturias Awards.

The Prince of Asturias Awards, established in 1981, are given every year to outstanding individuals and groups in eight categories: Communication and Humanities, the Arts, Letters, Social Sciences, Technical and Scientific Research, International Cooperation, Sports and Concord. This year’s winners include tennis player Rafael Nadal, novelist Margaret Atwood, Ingrid Betancourt (for the Concord Award), and search engine giant Google. The full list of awardees are here. Each awardee receives a Joan Miró statue,  a cash prize of 50,000 euros, an insignia with the Foundation´s arms, and a diploma.

The awarding ceremony was preceded by several days of activities for the Prince and Princess, which included a visit to the public school “La Gesta”, which Princess Letizia attended. Audiences with the juries, the Prince of Asturias Award and Foundation Boards of Trustees, and the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award Laureates were held during the day on Friday, October 24, 2008. The presentation ceremony was on the evening of the 24th.

via Fundacion Principe de Asturias

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(From left to right) Prince Felipe, Princess Letizia, Queen Sofia, Queen Rania, King Abdullah, King Juan Carlos, Princess Noor and Prince Hasna at the Zarzuela Palace on October 18, 2008 in Madrid, Spain.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Queen Rania were in Madrid, Spain on an official visit on October 18-19, 2008. They were met by Spain’s monarch King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia at the Barajas airport. King Abdullah and Queen Rania were joined by Prince Hamza and Princess Noor.

The royals then enjoyed an evening dinner at the Zarzuela Palace, which Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Princess Letizia also attended.

King Abdullah and Queen Rania will proceed to Chile on a state visit and then to other Latin American countries.

Here are close-ups of the same photo above:

images used with permission from Newscom

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Spanish National Day is a major public holiday celebrated on October 12 of every year, to commemorate Spain’s reunification and the successful voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas in 1492. The parade goes through the capital city of Madrid and is attended by the Spanish royals and government officials. Other festivities and processions occur all over the country.

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The Spanish royals with the Morelia Childrens’ Choir in Michoacan, Mexico last September 29, 2008. (Second row, from left, Michoacan Governor Leonel Godoy, Mexican First Lady Margarita Zavala, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia)

Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Princess Letizia of Spain are on an official visit to Mexico. The royal couple arrived in Mexico City last September 28, 2008 and will stay in the country until October 2, 2008. (photos of their arrival here and here)

They have met the President of Mexico Felipe Calderon in his home in Michoacan, as well as at an official welcome ceremony in Los Pinos. A private dinner on the night of September 28, and a luncheon yesterday, September 30 were held in their honor.

The official schedule of Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia include attending the inaugural meeting of the First Congress of Latin-American Culture, meetings with representatives of Spanish companies that are based in Mexico, and a reception for their countrymen who are living in Mexico held at the National Arts Center. They will be accompanied by President Calderon to some of these meetings.

via Royal Forums; image used with permission from Newscom

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Part of their trip was to see the InnoTrans trade fair, an international showcase of the latest technology in passenger and freight transportation systems. The fair runs from September 23-28, 2008.

Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia also visited the Brandenburg Gate with the mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit. The Brandnburg Gate, which was completed in 1791,  is the only one remaining of a series that used to lead into Berlin. (source)

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Princess Leonor is among the legions of children who went to school for the first time this month. She started at the ‘Santa Maria de los Rosales’ School in Aravaca, near Madrid.

Proud parents Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Princess Letizia accompanied her, as did many other parents on their kids’ first day of school.

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Spanish Crown Couple Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia were honored with the key to the city of Cuenca last September 11, 2008.

The Prince was granted the mayor’s distinction of honor during the visit, and received the Golden medal of the Meeting Confraternity of the Holy Week of Cuenca. During a tour of the city, the royals also viewed a monument in their honor.

It looks like the prince and princess thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the city. Cuenca is located in central Spain, about 160 km from Madrid. It is an ancient city that has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Just follow the links to see more photos of the royal couple during their visit:

On the walkabout, meeting the city’s residents (photo one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight)

At the awarding of the medal and key (one, two, three, four)

Prince Felipe delivering his speech

Waving from the balcony

Video of the visit here

image used with permission from Newscom

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King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia were all present at the dinner.

President Arias was in Spain to meet with business leaders and to drum up support for debt cancellation for his country.

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Spanish royal family at the summer farewell dinner in the Palace of Almudaina: (left to right) King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe, Princess Letizia, Princess Elena and Princess Cristina

The Spanish Royal Family officially said farewell to their vacation hosts with a dinner in the Palace of Almudaina in Palma de Mallorca on August 29, 2008.

The royals hosted the affair for the officials of the Balearic Islands. The summer farewell dinner is a traditional gathering to mark the end of the summer vacation season.

The royals manage to combine work and relaxation during their stay in Mallorca. King Juan Carlos took part in the 27th Copa del Rey Mapfre Audi Sailing Cup competitions. He also met with dignitaries like Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez and President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.

You can watch a video of the reception here.

image used with permission from Newscom

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