The Royal Family's schedule never leaves anyone indifferent. next weekend, Galicia has become the unexpected setting for one of the year's most talked-about family scenes. All media attention was focused on the possible image of reconciliation: Don Juan Carlos I and his granddaughter, Princess Leonor, sharing the spotlight after months of speculation about the coldness in their relationship.
However, that desired photograph hasn't happened. What has taken place in Sanxenxo and Marín these days not only portrays the current moment of the Borbón family, but also reopens the debate about the weight of Queen Letizia's decisions in the public and private moves of the institution.
The impossible reunion between grandfather and granddaughter in Galicia
The former King's visit to Spain, the fourth so far this year, began last Thursday. With a low profile and without taking the helm of his beloved Bribón, Don Juan Carlos once again sought refuge in Sanxenxo, a land of loyal friendships and the setting for numerous nautical anecdotes. Meanwhile, the attention of the media and followers of the Royal Household was focused on the imminent arrival of Leonor in Marín, after completing her military training aboard the Juan Sebastián de Elcano.
Expectations were high: grandfather and granddaughter separated only by the Ría de Pontevedra and a short drive. Social media were filled with messages speculating about the imminent meeting. Far from that historic moment taking place, the timeline ended with Don Juan Carlos heading to Vigo airport, almost at the same time Leonor's ship was docking in Marín. Sources close to the organization claim there was no real attempt at rapprochement, and that the overlap in schedules was, at best, a carefully managed coincidence.
Public gestures and private signals: Letizia Ortiz's position
Although Don Juan Carlos received a visit from his daughter, Infanta Elena, and enjoyed the usual camaraderie in Pedro Campos's circle, the big absence was the image with his granddaughter. In press circles and among specialized commentators, the same conclusion resonates: Queen Letizia's hand is increasingly visible in the organization and protection of Leonor's public appearances.
This isn't the first time a photograph between the former King and the heiress has been avoided. From Zarzuela, there is complete silence, but those who know the inner workings of the institution point out that, far from being an accident, the lack of overlap is the result of a very defined strategy. Letizia, always alert to the princess's reputation and to the image of modernity and renewal that the Royal Household wants to project, is said to have vetoed any visible rapprochement, aware of the symbolism that a simple snapshot could have in the midst of a new era for the monarchy.
On social media, the conversation hasn't stopped. Users of X (formerly Twitter) and television analysts have highlighted the coldness between branches of the family, while others point to the limited room for maneuver Don Juan Carlos has during his trips to Spain, always surrounded by his most loyal circle, but far from the institutional core.
Political interpretations and the future of the Royal Household's image
This rift has served to fuel the debate about the real, both personal and institutional, relationship between the two generations of Borbóns. Unlike the smiling image alongside Infanta Elena, the silence surrounding Leonor confirms that gestures and photos are more important than ever in the royal communication strategy. Letizia's presence as a key figure behind the scenes has once again become the court's open secret in the media.
Although some media have speculated about a future rapprochement, the reality is that the distance between grandfather and granddaughter grows every time an opportunity like next weekend's is missed. The photo desired by Don Juan Carlos hasn't happened, and with it, any image of normality or total reconciliation in the royal family fades for now.
The question is clear: will this be Don Juan Carlos's last attempt to regain family ground, or are we witnessing a new era where Leonor's generation, led by Letizia, definitively sets the rules of the institutional narrative? For now, the royal family keeps making headlines and leaving the public waiting for that meeting that, once again, slipped away by just a few minutes.