Saturday 26 November 2016

Fidel Castro's meetings with royalty


Fidel Castro, who died on November 25th 2016

Royalty and Fidel Castro don't seem like a mix. But the man who led the Communist revolution in Cuba before ruling a one party state for almost fifty years rubbed shoulders with royals on more than one occasion. As the death of Fidel Castro is announced, here are several times that he met royalty.






Fidel Castro was in the front row of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, in 1996 for the funeral of Francois Mitterand. On one side of him was Prince Rainier III of Monaco, on the other Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. The Prince of Wales sat several chairs down while King Carl XVI Gustaf, Beatrix of the Netherlands and King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia were also there.



Fidel Castro met Juan Carlos and Sofia several times. He visited Spain 24 years ago to see Expo 92 which was held at Seville. King Juan Carlos was there for the tour.




The annual Ibero American summits were the setting of several meetings between Juan Carlos of Spain and Fidel Castro. Here they are seen in Venezuela in 1997.




King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia became the first Spanish royals to visit Cuba since 1492 when they arrived on the island ahead of the 1999 Ibero American summit. Here they are seen with Fidel Castro - the then Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar, was also present.

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