Letizia and whatever love is

Letizia has disappeared from Spain for the time being - the Princess of Asturias is thought to be on holiday with her husband and daughters.  And in the last few years that has meant a break away from her home country and its photographers in somewhere that stays secret.  It usually leads to lots of questions about where, when, how and why the future king and queen of Spain have been spending their holidays but then they have faced a lot of questions already this summer.  More and more papers and magazines are filling their pages with questions about the state of the Asturias marriage with even ABC, a big supporter of the monarchy, mentioning the c word at the weekend.  But today crisis is far from the front pages of that paper as it reminds us of the loving looks the prince and princess like to share.  Is this the beginning of a royal fightback?

 

A recent photo of the Prince and Princess of Asturias used by ABC today in a gallery showing their looks of love

 

A quick trip to the front page of abc.es promises a photo gallery of longing looks and loving glances shared by the couple in the last few months.  Some do look cosy while others look, well, slightly less than friendly but overall the eight shots give the impression of a couple comfortable with one another as opposed to the fragmented fury that some articles of recent days have pointed at. 

 

 

Their presence in Pontevedra was one of the recent occasions ABC singled out as showing the couple happy and in love

 

A spokesperson for the royal household has scotched rumours of a rupture between the pair by describing their marriage as more solid than ever before.  Despite the princess' departure from Mallorca before her husband and some of the less than happy looks they've shared in recent times, other sources close to the prince have also spoken of their continued happiness in recent days.  While many of the commentaries on a possible crisis have pointed to the recent spate of single nights out for Letizia and the worries that her trips to music concerts have caused her husband, others in defence of the couple say they share more than ever before.

 

 

The couple in Madrid earlier this year to greet the Japanese Crown Prince, Naruhito

 

The couple have always been fond of a loving look or two and clung on to holding hands in public far longer than other royal couples - or any couple come to mention it.  They've been criticized in the past for being a bit too lovey dovey and not professional enough when in public although in recent times the attacks on the princess have also mentioned how miserable she's seemed at some duties.

 

 

The couple at the mass celebrated to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Juan, father of Juan Carlos I

 

Either way, the denials and the photo gallery have done little to dampen down gossip that there is something not quite as it was in the marriage of the heir to the throne and the former journalist from Oviedo.  They won't been seen in public now until the beginning of September - Felipe is due at the announcement over the location of the 2020 Olympics which will be made in Buenos Aires after heavy involvement in the campaign to get the games to Madrid.  Letizia hasn't been associated with the campaign and it's not known if she will attend the envelope opening but her critics point to her ability to spot a good photo opportunity a mile off.  If she does turn up, she'd better smile for the cameras or there will be another wave of articles beginning with the word crisis.