Felipe and Letizia's long summer starts here

The King and Queen of Spain have continued their round of introductory visits and they're setting a cracking pace.  Less than three week after becoming monarchs, Felipe VI and Letizia are already on visit number two of their getting to know you tour of Europe.  Although admittedly this time, they were staying fairly close to home as they nipped over to Lisbon to meet the President of Portugal.

The King and Queen of Spain with the President of Portugal and his wife on July 7th 2014

The royal couple were given an official welcome at the Belen Palace where Felipe VI took part in a military review.  The monarchs posed for photos with their hosts before the king held a private audience with the Portuguese president, Anibal Cavaco Silva.

The King of Spain with the President of Portugal - Felipe VI and Anibal Cavaco Silva

Meanwhile, Queen Letizia and the president's wife, Maria Cavaco Silva, held a meeting with the President of the Association of Rare Diseases in Portugal, Paola Costa - the issue is one of the causes that Letizia is heavily involved with.

Letizia of Spain with Maria Cavaco Silva (on her right) and Paola Costa before their meeting on July 7th 2014

There was a lunch for the royal visitors, where guests included the Prime Minister of Portugal, before an afternoon visit to the Portuguese Parliament at the Sao Bento Palace.  After meeting political leaders, the royal couple toured an exhibition there called 'Birth of a Democracy'.

Felipe VI and Letizia with the President of the Portuguese Assembly, Assuncao Esteves

The end of this introductory visit came at the official residence of the Prime Minister of Portugal where the new monarchs held a meeting with Pedro Passos Coelho.  The last photos of the visit were of the Prime Minister and his wife, Laura Ferreira, showing their visitors the gardens of their official home. Throughout the day, Queen Letizia wore a pale blue outfit by Felipe Varela.

Felipe and Letizia with Portuguese Prime Minister, Pedro Passos Coelho, and Laura Ferreira on July 7th 2014

The royal couple will visit several other European countries in the coming months, in the same way that the continent's other new monarchs did after the abdications and accessions in the Netherlands and Belgium in 2013.  Felipe and Letizia's first international trip as king and queen was to the Vatican on June 30th 2014.  And with this visit to their neighbours, the new monarchs have shown that when it comes to their official agenda there's no summer holiday this year.