Every summer, Marivent Palace in Palma de Mallorca becomes the epicenter of Spanish royalty's social and media life. The posed photos, receptions, and nautical outings paint an idyllic picture that, however, hides an increasingly evident reality.
The palace walls are silent witnesses to a distance that can no longer be concealed. The forced smiles and measured gestures in public contrast with the life that King Felipe and Queen Letizia lead behind closed doors, an open secret that this year has become clear in the most obvious way.
What specialized chroniclers such as Pilar Eyre or Jaime Peñafiel have claimed for months, describing the marriage as a mere "work team," seems to find its definitive confirmation in the distribution of the royal quarters during the summer stay. The distance is no longer just emotional, but also physical.
Parallel lives under the Mallorca sun
The news has started to circulate from the very staff working at the Balearic complex: the King and Queen don't share a roof at Marivent. According to these reports, Felipe has settled in the palace's main building, the same one his mother, Queen Sofía, has occupied in previous years. Meanwhile, Queen Letizia has chosen to take refuge in Son Vent, an independent farmhouse located within the same grounds, together with her daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía.
This physical separation is not accidental. It responds to the Queen's desire to keep her own space and schedule, far from the rigidity of protocol and cohabitation with her mother-in-law. "The lady has another life, her friends, they're not together," say sources close to the palace environment.
In Son Vent, a building of more than 6,460 sq. ft. (600 square meters) that was given to the then Prince in 1992, Letizia finds the privacy she needs to manage her commitments and personal time, leaving only for unavoidable official events.
These outings, such as visits to local markets or the closing of some festival, are seen more as a contractual obligation to the island than as a vacation enjoyment.
A "work team" in the middle of summer
This modus operandi in Mallorca is nothing more than a reflection of the dynamic the couple would keep during the rest of the year in Madrid. Since their daughters no longer reside permanently in the Prince's Pavilion due to their respective studies, a de facto separation has been consolidated at Zarzuela. While Letizia remains in what was the family residence, the King would have moved to other areas of the complex, closer to the quarters of the Queen Emerita.
Queen Letizia's discomfort in Mallorca is notorious and goes back a long way. She has never felt comfortable with the summer "farce," a staging she considers artificial and forced.
For this reason, the recent news about the possible intention of the Balearic Government to recover Marivent Palace for public use could be a relief for her. Freeing herself from this annual obligatory event would undoubtedly be good news amid the tension.
According to Royal House experts, such as YouTuber Laura Rodríguez, the separation is total. They might even both have lovers. It's a kind of agreement to keep up appearances. One of those supposed lovers, Jaime del Burgo, ex of Erika Ortiz, Letizia's sister, told everything to Jaime Peñafiel.