Princess Letizia scored high in the style stakes as she attended a joint royal engagement with her husband Prince Felipe. The future king and queen of Spain had opened the doors of the royal palace in Madrid to host an annual meeting with members from Felipe's "Príncipe de Asturias" foundation and patronage. Letizia, 41, looked sleek in an asymmetrical black dress that showed off her svelte figure. The mother-of-two accessorised with nude heels and a simple black clutch, and opted for one of her favourite hairstyles — a side plait swept across her forehead.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Letizia and Prince Felipe of Spain
Felipe, meanwhile, looked dashing in a dark suit and blue tie as he delivered a powerful speech to members of the foundation. The prince, who will be crowned king next week, emphasised that he would still like to head the foundation until his eldest daughter Princess Leonor, eight, would be old enough to take on the "exciting and intense" responsibility. Felipe added that he and his wife were living in "very special times", given the imminent abdication of his father King Juan Carlos on 18 June.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Leonor and Prince Felipe
Early on Wednesday morning, a bill was presented in the Spanish parliament to formalise the 76-year-old monarch stepping down. The country's leading political groups, the centre-right People's Party and the centre-left Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, showed their support for the King and voted in favour of the bill, contributing to the total 299 who approved it against the 19 who rejected it. Various leftist parties voted against the law, while some nationalist groups abstained.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Felipe and Princess Letizia
While some in Spain have called for a referendum on whether the country should retain the monarchy or become a republic, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of the People's Party spoke highly of prince Felipe. The future king has "first-hand knowledge about the diversity of our people and culture," said Mr Rajoy in his speech.
