Spanish State Visit to France: March 24-26, 2015 {Cancelled} June 2 - 4, 2015

[princess gertrude]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

Felipe is doing the speech in French, his french is very good although he stumbles a little from time to time and the words don't come as natural, he reads a lot from the paper. I think he has been nervous and out of his comfort zone but still well done!

In French!!! How wonderful! I will go so far as to say that him doing the speech in french will win him a great number of "brownie points" with the french people, regardless of a few stumbles. King Felipe is fast becoming one of my favorites (not to mention the hottest) royals.

[ANNIE_S]

Video:
1ère séance : Allocution du roi d'Espagne Felipe VI ; Débat sur l'évaluation du soutien public aux exportations - Mercredi 3 juin 2015 - Vidéos de l'Assemblée nationale

Lovely gesture by President Bertolone welcoming the royal couple in Spanish, and how beautiful words:
"We are here at the French people's House. It is always open for Your Majesty, as it always was for your father and as it always will be for your successors"

Tweet from Helene Bekmezian, French parlamentary journalist: https://twitter.com/Bekouz/status/60...527808?lang=es
Great success for the King. That's more than a standing ovation from the deputies, that's a bis!

[lula]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1X3o_4eNYY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztyi8garwnY

[Nico]

French is a difficult language. Hats off to the King for this wonderful and meaningful speech.
For those who moan, as usual, about a supposed lack of pump or glitter during this visit (budget, really ?), i would say that, for once, it shows that a State Visit is way more than a sartorial parade but all about links, and friendship, between two countries. I would give any banquet with tiaras in the world for such moving and heartful speech. Bravo !

[carlota]

well done to felipe on doing his speech in french! his spanish accent is evident, however for someone who never lived in france he seems to have a really good level. i wonder if felipe speaks other languages apart from english and french.

[Duke of Marmalade]

Felipe speaks English like a native speaker, I guess Sofia spoke english to her children from the beginning. Later on he went to live in Canada and the US, so his english is perfect. He must have learned French from very early on as well but I guess he didn't have the opportunity to practise it very often. I think JC speaks French very well, almost native.

[dazzling]

I think Felipe and Letizia looked great on this trip and a great couple to watch. Felipe did great at his speech. This was a nice trip to follow.

[ANNIE_S]

I'm still deeply impressed by the importance the French authorities have given to this visit. Not only for the honors paid to the King and Queen, but also by the great sympathy showed to them and to Spain by a extent.

Maybe it helps that two high representatives as are the PM and the Mayor of Paris are from Spanish origin, but some gestures have made me smile. The Spanish beautiful greeting of M. Bertolone and warm speech was one but, above all, the words of Mayor Anne Hidalgo this morning at the Hotel de la Ville have really moved me. I've always liked her, she seems a nice smart woman, but I love the fact that she's so proud of her origins (as she tweeted earlier today) and doesn't forget her family's land and its history:
"You are the face of that young, reconciled Spain that has turn the page of its dark hours and that Paris' people welcome today with open arms"
"It's not just the Mayor who says it, but the Republican raised in the Republicans memories. You are, together with Queen Letizia, the image of a free, united Spain, and that is the reason because of your presence means so much to Paris"

Source:http://www.republica.com/2015/06/03/...beraron-paris/

[ANNIE_S]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

Felipe speaks English like a native speaker, I guess Sofia spoke english to her children from the beginning. Later on he went to live in Canada and the US, so his english is perfect. He must have learned French from very early on as well but I guess he didn't have the opportunity to practise it very often. I think JC speaks French very well, almost native.

JC belongs to the times when French was still the diplomacy language, at least in Spain. Felipe grew up with English as first world language and that shows, I guess

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by ANNIE_S

I'm still deeply impressed by the importance the French authorities have given to this visit. Not only for the honors paid to the King and Queen, but also by the great sympathy showed to them and to Spain by a extent.

[/...]

How did you measure "the importance the French authorities have given to this visit"? The level of the protocol and the ceremonial was considerably lower than for similar State Visits. For the rest all program events are the standard ones which happen at every State Visit: an audience with the Prime Minister, an audience with the Mayor of Paris, a visit to the Assemblée Nationale, a wreath-laying ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, it is all pretty standard stuff...

[An Ard Ri]

Day2

PPE

PPE Agency

PPE Agency

PPE Agency

PPE Agency

[ANNIE_S]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

How did you measure "the importance the French authorities have given to this visit"? The level of the protocol and the ceremonial was considerably lower than for similar State Visits. For the rest all program events are the standard ones which happen at every State Visit: an audience with the Prime Minister, an audience with the Mayor of Paris, a visit to the Assemblée Nationale, a wreath-laying ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, it is all pretty standard stuff...

Well, not every Head of State is invited to speak at the National Assembly as far as I know, even less monarchs. And I take in account that Spain is the SECOND country to have two heads of State giving a speech there, the first one being the USA.

Plus, as noted at the beggining of the visit, Just Queen Elizabeth II had a similar welcoming ceremony at the Arc of Triomph, escorted afterwards through the Champs Elysées.

And this may be just me, but I highly doubt the Mayor of Paris has dedicated so heart-warming words to many foreign authorities, speaking about her family's Republican past etc (and I was more about the warm than the honors, actually).

But I get this is just trifles next to a grand Tiara Gala Dinner with uniforms, orders and fanfare, of course.

[PrincessofEurope]

I wonder how many of Letizia's outfits from this state visit were in her selection for the postponed visit from march time. Or has she had a new wardrobe made for this june visit. I imagine last nights dinner outfit was what she had been planning to wear back in march.

[lula]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tWjZzTPpUw

[Nico]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

How did you measure "the importance the French authorities have given to this visit"? The level of the protocol and the ceremonial was considerably lower than for similar State Visits. For the rest all program events are the standard ones which happen at every State Visit: an audience with the Prime Minister, an audience with the Mayor of Paris, a visit to the Assemblée Nationale, a wreath-laying ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, it is all pretty standard stuff...

That's simply not true. I would say this State Visit was only surpassed by the visit of QEII last year, and just because the dinner was black tie in her honor, and the Chinese visit last year too, because a dinner and an opera at Versailles were included. The State visits in France were considerably downsized since 1995 (Chirac administration) and the banquets are Business suits since 2009 (Sarkozy administration) so no, the level of protocol was not lower than usual. It was even higher in my opnion than the last Spanish visit back in 2004. The grand welcome at the Arc de Triomphe by the President himself and the cortege trough the Champs Elysées were EXCEPTIONAL, as the media coverage for the event. The Swedish royals didn't have the same chance last december .
I think we all regret the good ol' times, back to De Gaulle, Giscard and even Mitterand, with lavish white tie banquets at the Louvre, Versailles and concerts at the Opera. But let's face it, the World has changed, France has changed and judging by the current economic situation, this visit was anything but low key.

[Livia]

I know King Felipe was going to give last March the Order of Isabella the Catholic to Hollande and I've read also last March Letizia was going to receive The Legion of Honour, someone knows about this?

[chuchu]

Originally Posted by ANNIE_S

He's KILLING IT. I'm super proud

Annie, as you should be.

[chuchu]

Originally Posted by Nico

French is a difficult language. Hats off to the King for this wonderful and meaningful speech.
For those who moan, as usual, about a supposed lack of pump or glitter during this visit (budget, really ?), i would say that, for once, it shows that a State Visit is way more than a sartorial parade but all about links, and friendship, between two countries. I would give any banquet with tiaras in the world for such moving and heartful speech. Bravo !

I agree with you 100%.

[julia garcia roch]

Originally Posted by ANNIE_S

Well, not every Head of State is invited to speak at the National Assembly as far as I know, even less monarchs. And I take in account that Spain is the SECOND country to have two heads of State giving a speech there, the first one being the USA.

Plus, as noted at the beggining of the visit, Just Queen Elizabeth II had a similar welcoming ceremony at the Arc of Triomph, escorted afterwards through the Champs Elysées.

And this may be just me, but I highly doubt the Mayor of Paris has dedicated so heart-warming words to many foreign authorities, speaking about her family's Republican past etc (and I was more about the warm than the honors, actually).

But I get this is just trifles next to a grand Tiara Gala Dinner with uniforms, orders and fanfare, of course.

Very well stated Annie S. The Spanish Monarch have received the same honor as Queen Elizabeth the II.

[AnaC]

Originally Posted by ANNIE_S

Well, not every Head of State is invited to speak at the National Assembly as far as I know, even less monarchs. And I take in account that Spain is the SECOND country to have two heads of State giving a speech there, the first one being the USA.

Plus, as noted at the beggining of the visit, Just Queen Elizabeth II had a similar welcoming ceremony at the Arc of Triomph, escorted afterwards through the Champs Elysées.

And this may be just me, but I highly doubt the Mayor of Paris has dedicated so heart-warming words to many foreign authorities, speaking about her family's Republican past etc (and I was more about the warm than the honors, actually).

But I get this is just trifles next to a grand Tiara Gala Dinner with uniforms, orders and fanfare, of course.

Originally Posted by Nico

French is a difficult language. Hats off to the King for this wonderful and meaningful speech.
For those who moan, as usual, about a supposed lack of pump or glitter during this visit (budget, really ?), i would say that, for once, it shows that a State Visit is way more than a sartorial parade but all about links, and friendship, between two countries. I would give any banquet with tiaras in the world for such moving and heartful speech. Bravo !

I couldn't agree more with both of you. State Visits, like monarchies, are so much more than the superficial "glitter". If people don't see how relevant this visit was for both countries, how quickly France and Spain found a date to reschedule the whole visit, how special it is for the President himself to receive them (and in the Arc de Triomphe nonetheless, blocking the Champs Elysées with their motorcade) and act as host for every event during the first day, the obvious good rapport between the King and Queen and the President, the Prime Minister (who invited his own mother to the luncheon, I wonder if this is normal in state occasions) and the Mayor of Paris or how King Felipe was invited to speak at the National Assembly (an honor that only 13 people before him had received, and no European monarch besides his father). If all this and the background of the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysées, the National Assembly, Matignon Palace, the Elysée, the hôtel de ville...look "budget" and unimportant, I don't think we have the same concept of what's important.