King Felipe and Queen Letizia release Christmas card with never-before-seen family photo
- The Spanish royals featured a poem by Francisco Brines in their festive card
- READ MORE: Queen Letizia of Spain looks chic in floral ensemble as she presides over charity board meeting alongside King Felipe in Madrid
The Spanish royals released their annual Christmas card featuring a never-before-seen family photo and a touching message for those affected by the deadly floods in Valencia.
In the heartfelt card, Letizia, 52, cuts an elegant figure in a satin aqua blue dress as she wraps her arm around her first daughter Leonor, 19.
The heir to the Spanish throne towers over her mother and strikes a festive chord in a tailored red trouser suit.
On the far left, Felipe, 56, looks as dapper as ever in a navy suit and patterned tie with one hand on his 17-year-old daughter Sofía's arm as she wears a navy patterned jumpsuit.
The wholesome family picture was snapped after the royals presided over the Solemn Changing of the Royal Guard in June.
The historic event kicked off celebrations for the ten-year anniversary of King Felipe ascension to the throne.
Signed by all four members of the family, a message is written in both Spanish and English. It reads: 'Merry Christmas, and may we all face the New Year with greater confidence.'
Notably, there is also a touching tribute to those affected by the floods in Valencia in November.
The never-before-seen family picture featured in the Christmas card was snapped after the royals presided over the Solemn Changing of the Royal Guard in June
A total of 224 people died in the floods, 216 of them in Valencia, seven in the neighbouring region of Castilla-La Mancha and one in Andalucia.
Acknowledging the worst flooding disaster Spain has experienced in decades, the royal card contains a poem by Francisco Brines.
The Valencian poet was visited by the King Felipe and Queen Letizia on his death bed in 2021 to be granted the honour of a lifetime: the Miguel de Cervantes Prize.
His words translate to:
'And I seek a face that reflects light,
someone who, like me, though only holding death,
also holds, as I once did,
defying it, life.'
A message in the card, which is signed by all four members of the family, translates to: 'Merry Christmas, and may we all face the New Year with greater confidence'
The Christmas card contains a poem by Francisco Brines. It reads: 'And I seek a face that reflects light, someone who, like me, though only holding death, also holds, as I once did, defying it, life'
The Spanish king and queen visited the flood-hit region on three occasions, embracing locals on the damaged streets.
But the royal couple were also met with hostility and heckled by angry residents during their visit to the Valencia region of Paiporta where 45 lives were claimed by the raging floodwater.
Letizia and Felipe were pelted with mud and drink cans by survivors of the dead floods who were protesting the haphazard management of the crisis.
The royal mother-of-two looked on several occasions to be overwhelmed by the torrent of anger after mudslingers in the crowd left her face spattered with dirt.
Eyes bulging from her head, the Queen was seen gingerly rubbing her temples in an attempt to remain calm before she burst into tears amid her conversation a flood victim who gave her name as Alicia.
Alice appeared to offer the emotional Queen a shoulder to cry on and a comforting embrace in a series of images that went viral following the royal visit in early November.
'All she could say was, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry",' Alicia recalled.
In a statement, the King referred to the floods in Valencia as 'utterly tragic', so it was only fitting for the Spanish royals to pay tribute to those affected in their Christmas card.
Spain's King Felipe is heckled and has mud thrown at him by furious locals during his visit to Valencia, where more than 200 people died in devastating floods
Queen Letizia appeared cries as she speaks to a woman (Alicia) in Paiporta
Queen Letizia appears to wipe mud away from her face after being heckled
In this year's festive card, Letizia is wearing a satin blue dress from luxury brand Maksu and glamorous gold sandals worth around £470.
With a smoky smattering of makeup, the Spanish queen adds a touch of glitz to her ensemble with a pair of tear-shaped earrings priced at just over £100 from Sibela Studio.
Princess Leonor certainly stands out in the photo, wearing a red trouser suit from Spanish fashion designer Roberto Verino.
She completes her festive look with a £1,500 pair of diamond and ruby earrings from Gold & Roses and a matching ring worth around £1,700.
Her younger sister Sofía sported a navy patterned jumpsuit from Seville-based brand Cardié and velvet ballerina pumps from LMDI Collection.
The Spanish royal family traditionally spend their downtime during the Christmas season at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid with a festive dinner taking place on Christmas Eve.
King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía have received an invite to the formal occasion.
Felipe and Letizia are not the only royals to release their Christmas card - with King Charles and Queen Camilla sharing theirs on December 7.
The Spanish royal family watch the Solemn Changing of the Royal Guard from the balcony on June 19
Princess Leonor steps out at the historic event in a striking red tailored trouser suit while her sister, Sofía, follows on in a navy patterned jumpsuit
In the photograph taken by Millie Pilkington in the gorgeous gardens of Buckingham Palace, Camilla, 77, is seen wearing a blue wool crepe dress by Fiona Clare, with her arm around her husband.
Charles, 76, is in a light grey suit and patterned blue tie, smiling with his hand in his pocket.
Across the pond, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle issued their own season's greetings in the form of a 'holiday' card.
A series of six images showed highlights from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's year including a sweet image of Princess Lilibet, three, and Prince Archie, five, running into their parents' open arms.
