Queen Sofia of Spain flew to New York this weekend, as her son and daughter-in-law were greeted with screams, tears and mud in the Valencia region. The Queen Emeritus is making a long-planned trip to New York, rearranged at the last minute following the deadly flood disaster in eastern Spain.
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Queen Sofia presents the Excellence Award to conductor Gustavo Dudamel in New York
More than 200 deaths have been reported and more than 1,900 people are still missing in Spain, following the torrential rains at the beginning of last week. King Felipe and Queen Letizia visited the Valencian town of Paiporta this Sunday, one of the areas most affected by the deadly floods. The visit was cut short for security reasons, as the official procession was the target of projectiles and mud.
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At the same time, Queen Sofia of Spain, 86, landed in New York. The Queen Emerita has a series of engagements planned in the United States until Wednesday but the initially planned program is still uncertain. The Royal House canceled all of King Felipe and Queen Letizia’s public engagements for this week, but Queen Sofia’s trip could hardly be canceled. This Monday, November 4, Queen Sofia presented the Prize of Excellence bearing her name to conductor Gustavo Dudamel, during a ceremony which also marked the 70th anniversary of the Queen Sofia Institute in Manhattan.
Queen Sofia was also scheduled to attend the America&Spain250 event organized by the American branch of the Queen Sofia Institute. At the moment we do not know if she will attend. It is also unclear whether Queen Sofia’s other engagements will take place in Spain, including a visit next week to a food bank. King Felipe and Queen Letizia, for their part, promised that they would visit the Valencia region again despite the turn that this Sunday’s visit may have taken.
