For the last time...

For the last time, the man who will be king of Spain has unveiled a plaque giving him the title he has borne for over thirty years.  Felipe, Prince of Asturias, of Girona and of Viana unveiled the stone bearing his name as he handed out the annual Prince of Viana prizes.  Next year, he may still hand out the prizes but the title may well belong to another as he, by then, will be Felipe VI of Spain.

Time to say goodbye to a title he has held for over thirty years - Felipe unveils a plaque marking a visit by the Prince of Asturias for the last time before he becomes King of Spain

The prizes were the first time that Felipe and Letizia have appeared in public together since it was announced that before the month is out, they will be King and Queen of Spain.  The couple looked happy and relaxed at the event but in moments of quiet and solitude, Felipe looked pensive and, dare it be said already, kingly.  There was a new confidence about the man who has spent his life in the shadows of a giant of a king.  In the days before he ascends the throne, Felipe is taking on the bearing of a monarch himself.