Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia, Current Events Part 5: February - May 2005

[Elsa M.]

Welcome to the new thread for Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia News.

The old thread can be found at:

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=172928#post172928

Have fun!

 

[Elsa M.]

Ona more sad note, this afternoon they attend a funereal for 18 people who died by gas leak in a rural country inn--they were all there to celebrate a 50th birthday party.

Thanks for the update, Lucys!
Sad story indeed. Here's an article about that accident
(thanks to Danielle, in the thread about the Spanish Royal Family):

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=37229


Here's another article, from Elmundo:
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2005/02/07/sociedad/1107778857.html

From ABC:
http://www.abc.es/abc/pg050207/actualidad/nacional/sucesos/200502/07/principes_asturias_castellon_tolodella_jovenes_gas.asp

Eleven men and seven women, including the five young members of a rock band, were killed by the fumes on Sunday at Todolella, a hamlet of just 136 people, after celebrating the 50th birthday party of a friend, Bartolome Messeguer.

Photo from La Casa del Rey:

Here's a link to an article with the respective video, from Antena 3:
http://www.antena3.com/a3n2004/servlet/Noticias?destino=../a3n/noticia/noticia.jsp&id=104

More photos of the funeral, from Face to Face:

 

[Josefine]

a funeral already?

 

[lucys]

a funeral already?

Funerals in Spain tend to happen quickly. Here are a few more images from Getty:

 

[lucys]

More from today's funeral from aapimage and 1 from Reuters via Yahoo.

As I look at these photos and read articles about how they gave condolences to the families, I am reminded that there is more to being a Princess, a Royal, than wearing a pretty dress. Sometimes I think we forget that.

 

[lucys]

A few more images from miscellaneous sources, and 1 Corbis photo:

 

[lapopdiva]

A few more images from miscellaneous sources, and 1 Corbis photo:

Thanks for all the lovely photos.Y love this one,isn't she just beautiful?
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=90285

 

[Josefine]

Funerals in Spain tend to happen quickly. Here are a few more images from Getty:

thank you
so one day after their detah there was a funeral?

 

[Elsa M.]

Yes, Catholics usually do the funerals 24 hours after one's death, except when there are legal procedures (e.g. crimes, etc.).

 

[rchainho]

How can i see the videos of that ceremonies? Is this true that when she left the car, she slipped in a rock of the road while she was going to the church in castellon?

 

[marezdote]

How can i see the videos of that ceremonies? Is this true that when she left the car, she slipped in a rock of the road while she was going to the church in castellon?

Do you mean from the funeral or the University visit?

 

[marezdote]

Videos

rchainho here are the videos I found of the funeral...

http://elmundo.es/videos/ scroll to Feb. 7 and click on "Los Príncipes asisten al funeral para apoyar a las familias de los 18 muertos en Todolella "

http://www.informativos.telecinco.es/dn_24922.htm click on "ver video"

 

[marezdote]

New pics

Casareal.es has what I'm pretty sure are new pictures in "fotos officiales" of Inaki/Cristina and Jamie/Elena so hopefully Felipe/Letizia isn't far behind.

 

[lucys]

Love the back of the green suit. Lovely.

Lecturas--one of the three big "Thursday magazines" in Spain has her on the cover this week with the word "Impecable." That's what I like about her--whether in a brown suit, a green suite, pants, skirt, formal or casual, she's always impecable and perfectly dressed to the occassion. Letizia rarely has even a hair out of place. In any case, here are a few from viennareport from yesterday and Monday with the Spanish tsunami voluntears--when she again wore that great Lydia Delgado skirt.

 

[lucys]

On a more humerous note--is this not a very funny image? Delightfully silly--from fotobank:

 

[Elsa M.]

On a more humerous note--is this not a very funny image? Delightfully silly

Yes, indeed! Perhaps it's inspired by the Carnival season??
One more, from Press.contrastphoto:

 

[lucys]

Yes, indeed! Perhaps it's inspired by the Carnival season??
One more, from Press.contrastphoto:

Ha! But more likely the frigidly cold temperatures in those parts of Spain these days!

I saw a few more bits of info about the upcoming trip to Brazil and Uruguay--but no dates yet.

The trip to Brazil will include stops in various cities. They firt go to Brasilia where they will meet with President Lula and either lunch or dine with him. They will be in Sao Paolo for the economics and business development conference, and in San Salvador de Bahía where the largest Spanish colony is. Don't know anything else just yet.

The Presidential Inauguration in Uruguay is March 1.

 

[Elsa M.]

Thank you, Lucys, for the update!
So, they'll not go to Rio de Janeiro... it seams Anna is not likely to meet them after all...

 

[lucys]

So does this mean Mary wore that white pant suite in Berlin to copy Letizia's white pant suits? Please ladies, let's not be silly. Neither is copying the other--they have different styles and in any case I am sure each is far too busy with her own life to be looking at the other's wardrobe.

Far more intersting--for me at any rate--the trip to Brazil is set for this February 21. This is an official trip and they are the guests of President "Lula". They will visit the three cities I had earlier mentioned (Brasilia, Sao Paulo y Salvador de Bahía). Additional to the activities I already mentioned (two day economics conference, dinner with Lula) they also will attent an event at the Parliment and probably visit a favela. That's all I've read so far.

Again, they will also go to Uruguay for the March 1 inauguration.

 

[Anna_R]

They will visit the three cities I had earlier mentioned (Brasilia, Sao Paulo y Salvador de Bahía). Additional to the activities I already mentioned (two day economics conference, dinner with Lula) they also will attent an event at the Parliment and probably visit a favela.

Just a correction there lucys, Brasília is a State and is Brazil's capital

Darn, they won't come to Rio..... there goes my opportunity to meet royalty

 

[Elsa M.]

Additional to the activities I already mentioned (two day economics conference, dinner with Lula) they also will attent an event at the Parliment and probably visit a favela.

Thanks, Lucys!
So, they're going to a favela? Well, I would say that is a radical sport indeed, for a Crown Princely couple, don't you think?...
Then, they'll certainly have a mega-security operation around them...
Do you know what's the favela they're going to visit in Brazil?

 

[Anna_R]

Well, I would say that is a radical sport indeed, for a Crown Princely couple, don't you think?...
Then, they'll certainly have a mega-security operation around them...
Do you know what's the favela they're going to visit in Brazil?

Although that isn't the image spread abroad, the favelas in Brazil are very keen of foreign visits. It is a dangerous place indeed, but there is a code (at least in Rio's favelas), that you are not supposed to do anything wrong while inside the community or you may suffer the punishment by the Chief (the lead drug dealer).

Nowadays, I feel that people are more secure inside a favela than outside of it.

A little tale I share with you to exemplify it. Do you know that movie "City of God"? The favela is just a couple of miles away from my house (maybe less) and I once worked inside the favela. One time, there were a couple of girls that shoplifted a supermarket and they were severely punished by the Chief.

So, I guess that Felipe and Letizia will be pretty safe during their visit.

 

[Elsa M.]

A little tale I share with you to exemplify it. Do you know that movie "City of God"? The favela is just a couple of miles away from my house (maybe less) and I once worked inside the favela. One time, there were a couple of girls that shoplifted a supermarket and they were severely punished by the Chief.

Thanks, Anna, for the explanation!
I guess I somehow was thinking of Rubem Fonseca's tales, when I painted the above draw!
Yes, I've heard of that conduct code before. When I was in college, I teacher of mine, who flies to Brazil almost every month, told us there's a very warm environment around all the people who visit the Escolas de Samba, and that the Chiefs of the favelas kind of assure nothing wrong would happen to everyone there! I remember we all were very surprised by his joyous description of his own visit to a poor quarter of Rio de Janeiro

 

[Elsa M.]

Some articles, from Diez Minutos:

The funeral in Morella:

http://www.especialeshf.com/bodareal/noticias/noticia135.htm

Felipe and Letizia arrived precisely at the funerals office. Dressed in plain mourning and with pain printted in their faces, they presided over the ceremony in front of the closer relatives. The Princess of Asturias was looked particularly affected, with her glanced eyes with tears. The face of the Prince also reflected a great sadness, but he was very affectionate with all the relatives and personally took care of all the relatives he could, offering his consolation words and supportive hugs to them.



Skiing at the slopes:

http://www.especialeshf.com/bodareal/noticias/noticia136.htm

The future Queen demonstrated much easier with the skiis and offered the most beautiful of her smiles to the cameras, that could catch their face without maquillaje, showing her very natural image. The improvement of the journalist in the snow tracks must be related to her very desire to share all her husband’s likings, as she’s found a superb teacher in Don Felipe.



Visit to Santa Maríade Vallbona monastery :

http://www.especialeshf.com/bodareal/noticias/noticia137.htm

The Princess has told the journalists the warm greetings of the abbess, Ana Maria Camprubí: "she has received me saying that she did not know how to greet a Princess, but I believe that, with such warm hug that she has given me, it has been sufficient".

 

[Monalisa]

Exactly the same reason which led Mary to wear a similar pink top coat to the one Letizia had previously worn during her trip to New York...
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=86896

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=86864

They're both fashionable women, wearing the very last trends... no surprise that they use the same pieces/colours/cuts; after all, fashion is all about using the same things, in the same season...

This is what i think too, i said that about the comparaison made holamagazine for similarities between rania and letizia!

 

[marezdote]

?

What is a favela?

 

[Elsa M.]

What is a favela?

Hi Marezdote!

"Favela" is the Portuguese word used in Brazil to call upon a very poor quarter of such big cities as Rio de Janeiro. Poor people start with the construction of their poor houses, and soon a whole quarter develops in very degraded environment, normally controlled by drug dealers. There are daily fights between the various gangsters, what makes the favela a dangerous place to live in, but most families who are forced to live there are honest and hard working people, who just have not the opportunity to live in a more pleasant place.

 

[lapopdiva]

The Princes enjoy a day of ski in Candanchú today

Los Príncipes disfrutan hoy de una jornada de esquí en Candanchú
Los Príncipes de Asturias llegaron ayer, pasadas las ocho y media de la tarde, a la estación invernal de Candanchú para disfrutar del deporte de la nieve durante este fin de semana

Se han alojado en el hotel Edelweiss y en principio, se prevé que su estancia se prolongue hasta mañana domingo. Don Felipe y Doña Letizia viajaron en AVE de Madrid hasta Zaragoza. Posteriormente, se dirigieron en coche particular, conducido por el Príncipe, hasta la estación de Candanchú.

HUESCA.- La pareja tenía programado acudir a las pistas hoy, entre las nueve y las diez de la mañana, para practicar el deporte blanco. Una afición que el heredero de la Corona española ya tenía antes de casarse y que parece haberle contagiado a su esposa puesto que ya siendo novios, la pareja acudió al mismo centro invernal, a finales del mes de febrero del año pasado, donde la Princesa de Asturias hizo sus primeros pinitos en el mundo del esquí alpino. En esa ocasión, el director del centro invernal, Eduardo Roldán, acompañó a la pareja en su visita a la estación y hoy con toda probabilidad hará lo propio. Y es que la Casa Real mantiene una buena relación con el responsable de Candanchú.

El año pasado, antes de acudir a la estación altoaragonesa, la Princesa visitó Baqueira Beret, en Cataluña. Durante su estancia, Eduardo Roldán impartió a Doña Letizia un curso intensivo para introducirla en el esquí alpino. Hoy quizá la Princesa de Asturias demuestre que incluso ha mejorado su habilidad con los esquís y se atreva a deslizarse por pistas que entrañen una cierta complicación.

Según el parte meteorológico facilitado por la estación, hoy sábado y mañana domingo, el cielo estará nuboso y se podrán producir precipitaciones débiles. Los vientos soplarán flojos.

Fotógrafo: RAFAEL GOBANTES
Arriba, los Príncipes llegan con el director de la estación de Candanchú, Eduardo Roldán, al hotel donde se alojan. Debajo, un grupo de niños espera la real visita.

Los Príncipes inician su fin de semana de esquí en Candanchú
Don Felipe y doña Letizia llegaron ayer por la noche al hotel donde se hospedan. Dos primos del Príncipe, hijos de la Infanta doña Pilar, acompañan a la pareja.

 

[Elsa M.]

Los Príncipes inician su fin de semana de esquí en Candanchú
Don Felipe y doña Letizia llegaron ayer por la noche al hotel donde se hospedan. Dos primos del Príncipe, hijos de la Infanta doña Pilar, acompañan a la pareja.

From Elmundo:
The Princes of Asturias have gone to the station of Candanchú (Huesca), where they enjoyed a day of ski in company of two cousins of Don Felipe and the director of the winter center, Eduardo Roldán, the ski teacher of the ex- journalist. The Princes descended all the tracks from the station, like the Tuca, Rinconada, Tobazo or Aludes, according to the information given by the director of the winter center, who assured that Letizia "has improved very much".

 

[Elsa M.]

From Hola

Felipe and Letizia, at the station of Candanchú: