Keep calm and carry on was King Felipe's disposition as he stepped out for a solo engagement on Wednesday, 4 April, following a viral video showing his wife Queen Letizia clashing with his mother Queen Sofía. It was business as usual as the 50-year-old monarch visited "The Copero" military based in Seville, where he happily toured the facilities of the Electronic War Regiment No. 32.
On Tuesday, 3 April, the day that Letizia and Sofía's video hit the web, Felipe and his wife made a somber appearance at a mass commemorating the 25th anniversary of the death of Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona — King Juan Carlos I's father. The pair's joint outing came a few days after Letizia and her mother-in-law were videotaped inside the Palma de Mallorca cathedral sharing a tense exchange following Easter Sunday Mass.
King Felipe visited the military base following the viral video of his wife and mother Photo: © Casa de S.M. el Rey
MORE: Watch the viral video of Queen Letizia and Queen Sofía's tense exchange here
The Spanish royals had just finished attending Easter Sunday mass in Palma de Mallorca on 1 April when Queen Sofía attempted to pose for a photo with her granddaughters Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía. Queen Letizia, 45, appeared to block her mother-in-law's path to avoid the pictures from being taken, before exchanging words with the 79-year-old Queen.
The couple made a somber appearance at a church service on April 3 as the video hit the web Photo: Ballesteros - Pool/Getty Images
Princess Leonor also seemed to brush her grandmother's hand off of her shoulder. King Juan Carlos I, 80, watched in shock as the event unfolded next to him, while King Felipe, 50, intervened between his mother and wife, giving Letizia a gentle squeeze on her arm. Moments later, the family emerged from the church all smiles as they greeted well-wishers. According to the Spanish news outlet TeleMadrid, Queen Letizia commented on the incident calling it "nonsense" and a "natural gesture."
MORE: Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía receive custom Easter gift — see what it is!
Sofía's nephew Crown Prince Pavlos' wife Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece weighed in on the drama tweeting: "What is the Spanish press saying? This is so awful. This makes me feel so angry! No grandmother deserves that type of treatment! Wow she's shown her true colours."
