Today we're explaining a very subtle gesture that has driven King Felipe VI mad during the Madrid Book Fair and has once again opened the door to speculation. According to Pilar Eyre, the royal family was forced to remove an official video in which Queen Letizia appeared posing with writer and director Rodrigo Cortés, with whom she kept a "special rapport" in public.
More than a book fair
During the opening of the 84th Madrid Book Fair, Letizia held a copy of La piedra blanca by Rodrigo Cortés and displayed it to the cameras. She accompanied the action with an affectionate gesture and a knowing look at the author elnacional.cat. The images caused an immediate stir both in agencies (EFE, Europa Press, GTRES) and on social media.
However, surprisingly, those images were later deleted from the official video released by Zarzuela. Felipe's inner circle reportedly demanded "delete everything" according to well-informed journalists such as Pilar Eyre.
Silence at Zarzuela
So far, there is no formal position or direct statement from the Casa Real. However, Letizia's inner circle has always defended her cultural visibility. Rodrigo Cortés, quoted on TV3, replied to the gesture: "Letizia is a great lover... of books."
Meanwhile, Pilar Eyre, visibly critical, suggests that these attitudes from Letizia—"defying the monarchy"—could be eroding the discretion pact that both keep to preserve their public image.
A 'textbook' marital crisis
The Letizia‑Felipe tandem is not new to generating intense headlines. In 2013, Pilar Eyre already pointed to a marital crisis due to alleged infidelities by the queen, although it was never confirmed. In addition, Letizia's cousin and unofficial biographers have alluded to disagreements and even a silenced miscarriage, which adds substance to these rumors.
Interested sources have also pointed out on other occasions the good rapport between the couple: let's remember the knowing gesture at the Planeta Awards, which was interpreted as a real show of complicity cadenaser.com.
A Queen Letizia always interested in culture
It's not new for the queen to appear close to a work or author: in 2024, she was photographed by Annie Leibovitz in a cultural campaign for Banco de España, highlighting her intellectual passion. But the difference lies in the intimacy of the gesture: the public caress of the book next to the author at a fair is perceived as a declaration of personal sympathy, beyond institutionalism.
Jealousy, a lot of jealousy
This episode raises an inevitable question: to what extent can Letizia show her personal side without contravening the unwritten agreements of the royal marriage? The discretion pact they've reached is put to the test every time she crosses the line between the cultural and the emotional.