Queen Letizia face to face with criticism. Again

 

Spain's royals usually don't get through the summer without some kind of controversy and this year, it seems particularly avoidable. King Felipe and Queen Letizia are just starting three days of visits to areas affected by wildfires but there are plenty of cries of too little, followed by too late.

The big issue for Spain's royals is that it's been widely reported that they've been enjoying a private holiday in Greece. Nothing to see there, it seems to be the playground of regal dynasties everywhere this summer. But when your dynasty's country is hit by the worst wildfires in three decades, is it really that sensible to sit tight until August is almost done.

Queen Letizia has taken most of the flak for two reasons. Yes, the first one is that she's a woman and they generally get the blame in royal situations far more readily than the men. The second is that King Felipe has already headed home. On August 17 2025, the day that Spain invoked an EU measure that allowed it to call in firefighters from fellow member states, the King of Spain was at the emergency response unit outside Madrid. Dressed in camouflage, he chaired a meeting and heard about the ongoing efforts to contain the blazes which have hit over 380,000 hectares in Spain this year according to the European Forest Fire Information System. Letizia hasn't been seen in public since leaving Mallorca in the first days of August.

And that's why this round of attack feels so very preventable. As the devastation of the fires became very apparent, you can't help but ask if a trip back home sooner might have proven sensible. There were some cheers for the King and Queen of Spain as they arrived in Zamora region to start three days of visits. But the online comments were mostly vicious. In the midst of it all is 87 year old Queen Sofia who was straight to work when the August fires became serious with campaigns to get food to those affected. It seems that even in the 21st century, Spain's royals rely heavily on her.

Letizia doesn't help herself. It was noticeable as she arrived, her casual look had been styled just so and her pristine white shirt remained half tucked into her chinos for the latest style vibe. There are days when an old anorak will do the job better than the latest fashion. She's very good at the meet and greet and got smiles from a young fan who had turned up to meet a real queen wearing a not so real tiara of her own. But the upshot remains that Spain's royal family need the older generation in Sofia and the younger generation in Leonor and the other Sofia to keep the gloss intact. It might not be fair to attack the royals over this - after all, it's the government which is responsible for rescue efforts and for supporting areas hit by the fires. But the figurehead needs to, well, figure and it seems a little baffling that the royal family waited so long to do something that was needed weeks ago.