Romance or rumour quashing?

The Prince and Princess of Asturias have spent much of the summer surrounded by whispers that their marriage has hit a bump in the road. The decision of Letizia to leave Mallorca several days before her husband and daughters and then her departure from Madrid just after Felipe arrived back from the island led to all kinds of speculation and ultimately comments from the Spanish royal household that the couple were OK, thanks for asking.  Today we got a kiss for the camaras - a touch of romance or a chance to quash the rumours?

 

Never one for lip locking in public, Felipe and Letizia go for a cheek brush of a kiss

 

The prince had just finished his final pitch to the International Olympic Committee for the games to come to Madrid in 2020.  His speech has won plaudits all round and he tackled the thorny issue of whether his country can afford the Games by talking about how the success of the spectacle isn't measured in money but across generations.  He talked about his parents, his own participation in the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 and his dreams to share that experience now with his daughters, Leonor and Sofia.  Letizia was in the audience in the red dress that all the women in the delegation have donned for the big day, smiling proudly and leading the applause.  And also asking people to be quiet if some pictures are to be believed.

 

 

A screen grab from RTVE showing the Princess of Asturias asking people behind her to be quiet when Felipe started speaking

 

The kiss will make the magazines happy even if the IOC result doesn't go Spain's way.  Back to school for the Asturias means a lot more scrutiny of their body language, conversation and pecks on the cheeks.  Whoever said a kiss was just a kiss?