We still don’t really know what Queen Sofia and Queen Letizia were fighting about on Easter Sunday. We’ve only been assuming, this entire time, that the fight was about access to Letizia’s two daughters, Infanta Sofia and Princess Leonor. We’ve just been assuming this whole time that Letizia doesn’t want her daughters to be used as props for her mother-in-law. We also assumed this whole time that Letizia and her mother-in-law have been fighting about this for a long time.
So what can we tell about the “fight” in retrospect, as we watch the damage-control unfolding? Over the weekend, the two Spanish queens put on their happy faces and did a photo-op outside of a Spanish hospital, where former King Juan Carlos had knee surgery. King Felipe, Letizia and Sofia entered and exited the hospital together and the two queens tried to look somewhat happy – or at least not flat-out angry – with each other. And now this… on Monday, the two Spanish queens once again visited the hospital, this time with Letizia’s daughters in tow. Queen Sofia got to hold her granddaughters’ hands and look like a doting grandmother for the cameras.
So what do these two photo-ops tell us about what was really going down on Easter Sunday? Well, the photo-ops say to me that the gossip was actually dead-on. The drama was between the two queens, and it was all about Sofia’s relationship with her granddaughters. We also know that Letizia reads the press coverage and she thinks she can “stage-manage” her way out of an image crisis. But what do know about Queen Sofia now? I don’t know. I think if Sofia had played her cards right, she could have milked this for a long time to look like a victim, and she was already getting a ton of public sympathy from a press primed to hate the current queen. So what does it say about Sofia that she is now going along and getting along with Letizia?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
HAHAHA WE SAW HER WIPE THA KISS LOL
What is tells me is the whole ‘she was a tigress protecting her cubs’ thing was nonsense and the two Queens’ aren’t capable of being professional for 2 hours and keeping their personal shit away from a public occasion. That, or PR > ‘protecting’ her ‘cubs’.
Other things this tells me
*Soph knows whose King so she’s playing along
* Soph loves a good rinse
*The girls are diplomacy pros
*Letty will swallow her pride for PR
* Both Queens’ need to grow the F up
*Queen shenanigans are the best shenanigans
Either way, this is the gift that keeps on giving.
I watched that video numerous times and never saw the anguished looks the girls were desperately sending their mother before she came in like a threatened grizzly to save her cubs.
* Soph loves a good rinse.
😆
I can see Sofia making sure that she got her hair did before arriving at the hospital with the grandbabies.
She needs to get it done again and get that purple out of her hair.
Agreed! Are we supposed to pretend that drama in the church didn’t happen with these “One big happy family” photo op / publicity stunt. LOL.
Both women need to stop using the kids for publicity. Sofia for trying to get that money shot with her grand daughters from the church and Letizia for staging this granny and daughter photo op now when she is supposedly trying to protect her girls from their monster granny just last week.
“The whole ‘she was a tigress protecting her cubs’ thing was nonsense and the two Queens’ aren’t capable of being professional for 2 hours and keeping their personal shit away from a public occasion….
*The girls are diplomacy pros*”
+100000
This! Yeah hats off to those two girls-because their easy natural smiles and holding hands with their grandma is what will appease the public. Letizia raised them well, she needs to emulate them (at least in public)!
There’s some weird stuff going on in this family…
But they are so damn good looking!
Especially him, yum, yum!
Felipe is hot!
Ha, ha, ha. Yes they are unlike the British royals. The only ones I think are Diana’s sons and their families.
It says that Sofia isn’t an evil monster like everyone was pretending and that she tries to protect her family from media attacks. It was so weird to me that people were attacking her in the last comments for standing by her own children and husband as if that makes her evil. As if they don’t speak to their trump supporting racist parents.
I feel for her and respect her willingness to try and end the tasteless attacks on her DIL.
+100
I have no respect for that woman. She always knew what kind of man was her husband but she stayed because she wanted to be a queen. And then her public support to Cristina and Iñaki…
Sofia of Greece is a product of her generation and status. Women did not leave their husbands. They accepted their cheating and preserved the status of Wife. In her case, of Queen Consort.
Also – she would have left with nothing and her children were the property of the crown. Her own brother had already been deposed as King of the Hellenes.
Agreed. There are pictures of this event with Sofia and Letizia looking almost warm and cuddly. They didn’t keep Felipe or the girls between them for the entire photo call.
If she were looking to protect her family – i.e. her daughter-in-law – from media attacks, Sofia would have opened a car door for Letizia. Thus, clearly passing the baton to the new queen.
But she took part in a PR stunt in which the reigning Queen Consort of Spain acted as a servant. To my point of view, that’s hardly showing support to the one woman in that family who needs protection from relentless media attacks.
The plus side of this story is all the pictures of Felipe.
Letizia is the bigger person here. It really stands out how hard she tries. Sofia has outed herself as a real piece of work.
I feel for the girls though. Their granny is using them as props.
+1
Yes, to all this.
Well she really has to try because it doesn’t come naturally to her. Sofia never had to try to play a role. She is genuine. All class. Letizia is eating crow because she showed herself to be rude and spiteful. She’s the one that has to win back public support. It’s nice that Sofia is making appearances on Letizia’s behalf.
Eh…sometimes you gotta put Grannies back in their lanes…cause they get out of them, that’s what it looked like to me between Letty and Sophie…it’s time for Sophie to pass that “HBIC” title to Letty, and Sophie probably ain’t having it…I’m just glad to see the Royals are JUST LIKE US!
It’s amusing!
Must be kinda hard she was the “OG Queen” for so long and it’s not like here in the UK where her spouse has died. They’re like second tier royals now.
IKR? This is so petty and childish, that I can’t stop read about it.
Sofia loves her son. Felipe was ALWAYS her favourite.😡
She could have refused to play along, but I don’t think she’ll want to do anything that could damage Felipe. And this hurt him badly.
Also I don’t understand why people attack her for sticking with a cheating husband. God knows the Swedish Queen, British Queen and a myriad First Ladies stuck around while their hubbies catted away.
There’s only one poster on here who keeps on repeating that… up and down the threads. Obviously, it’s the evil woman’s fault if her husband cheats.
*sarcasm*
I’m not seeing Amide blame the women or calling them evil. I do think it’s interesting that Sofia supposedly put up with this cheating to stay queen. Why did QEII put up with it? Her position wasn’t in jeopardy. Maybe they both looked the other way because they’re from a generation that tolerated the BS.
IKR? Why would she be at fault? In her generation, divorce is unheard of..plus, she’s doing it or the sake of the monarchy..how about Queen Elizabeth? Are people calling her out for sticking with prince Philip? Do people actually expect the queen of England to divorce her husband? Also, does it mean that some people here who criticize Sophia also hate Hilary? Because she did stick with bill Clinton even after a painful scandal..and if you ask me, after watching that video several times, I didn’t see the kids as victims of their grandmother..they were smiling at first..until the mother approached. Which to me is very rude..a few seconds for a picture wasn’t worth the drama, and the way that girl tossing hand r grandmother’s hand away is kind of disrespectful to me. Can you imagine a young prince William tossing away the queen mother’s hand away in from of Diana? Ooh..she will be slained by the media.
Personally, I don’t blame Sophia for staying with her husband. Her marriage, despite them being in the public’s eye, is ultimately her own business and isn’t morally reprehensible in and of itself. What I blame her for is the way she reacted to her daughter and son-in-law’s situation, and how she treated Letizia for years. But even then, it’s not a matter of thinking she’s evil or worthy of hatred. It’s a matter of not respecting her judgement and thus, not respecting her as a person.
As for why she agreed to do this photo-op – I find your take very interesting. I actually thought she agreed to it because she wanted to rub Letizia’s face in it and watch her do everything Letizia ended up doing on this visit. I figured she did this so she can establish herself as the wronged, but magnanimous party in this fiasco. Maybe I’m being too jaded in my judgement today.
I agree with the other poster that said she did it for her son. She loves him to pieces. She doesn’t have to rub it in Letizia’s face. She has class.
People forget how much my country, Spain, has changed in the space of 40 years. We were in political turmoil until the mid-eighties and a scandal like a divorce would have destroyed the monarchy, including Felipe’s chances of being king some day. She did the best she could.
Also, she is a very religious person, and still very in love with her husband. Divorce must be inconceivable for her.
I believe it’s been widely reported that Cristina is her favorite. But, I could be wrong! With so much drama within the family, it could have changed or never been 🙂
After how the press blew this up, QL and the Infanta’s got ripped by the Spanish press – this is PR stunting to smooth things over. QS is loving this, she will be all over winning this PR battle against QL even at the expense of her granddaughters being dragged by the Spanish press and some of the people. I read the they were calling Leonore a spoiled brat amongst other things – QS was in the wrong but a child being dragged for the rude behaviour of an elder who should know better.
QS and JC need to retire from public life and stop using the King and Queen titles, they are no longer the Monarch’s – QS refuses to accept she is no longer Queen and there is clearly a power struggle going on behind the scenes. Felipe needs to do something about his parents, they are a liability to his reign.
They should revert back to Juan Carlos’ former title and only appear in family acts. Heck, grant them a ducal title of their own, but strip them from their Majesty and King/Queen titles. They are no longer at the top of the pecking order and it only creates confusion and further public animosity between those who idolise Sofia and resent Queen Letizia.
You say she should stop calling herself queen yet you use QS and QL to differentiate. And that was a family affair that Felipe invited his parents to. They didn’t just show up on their own.
I don’t think the people of Spain are confused.
That family is incredibly good looking — the king, wow! They are all gorgeous.
They seriously are. Those girls are beautiful!
LOL everyone’s on their best behavior, just one big happy family 😂😂😂
Royals….just like us!
Leonor’s face and body language say it all. She knows granny was in the wrong. But due to misogyny in the media and public, Letizia is forced to play the contrite daughter in law.
Leonor, and Sofia, is at an age when you do not forget who wronged your parents. If she ever gets to be Queen and her relatives are still alive, I’d like to be around for that.
Yes. Letizia is married to the King and mother to the next Queen of Spain. Who do you think should be stepping aside??
I don’t think she should. In fact, there’s no stepping in any direction, as she is Consort. If this house survives, Leonor will be the next Queen of Spain.
I meant Sofia should be stepping aside, and letting her son, the King and his family take their rightful places.
It means she was told to play nice for the sake of her son, the actual King, and her granddaughters, particularly the eldest, whose character and behaviour has been dragged in the press and by some people. You know things got out of hand when the Heir is considered unsuitable for her role (at the age of 12!).
Seriously disturbing the way adults were talking about children…disgusting actually!
It was awful to read, especially YouTube comments made on horrible videos about the two girls. I am sure both Felipe and Letizia are livid and worried. Those two girls do not deserve the treatment they’re getting.
er these “kids” are supposed to rule over the people commenting. maybe they should all abdicate, give the money back and they’ll be free. no?
They’re 12 and 11 years old. They have no power of their own, they just exist as part of the Monarchy. As Leonor grows older, more expectations and responsibilities will be placed on her. It is not expected for her to rule over anyone – that’s not how a Constitutional Monarchy works.
Aren’t those girls too old to always dress so matchy matchy? If they’re not wearing identical shoes (like they did in church last week) or coats (as in this photo), it’s always pretty close.
Seriously! I thought they were twins. I don’t think the dressing alike will last much longer. Overdone a bit I agree.
Worse is being forced to hold hands with your granny for the sake of the press…
Does Sophia not have any other grandchildren she can rope in for a photo op? Hmmm, guess it’s more important to be seen loving on the King’s children. Opportunist much?
I asked my Spanish friend and his take amongst his crowd (university students living in Madrid – younger generation, mostly republicans) is that Letizia was trying to distance the girls from having photos with the Queen because of the corruption scandal with the Queen’s daughter and son in law. It is widely accepted that the daughter was just as guilty as her husband but was spared jail time because of her royal status. Historically, Queen Sofia was very welcoming of Letitzia but the financial scandal has damaged the royal family and emboldened republican sentiments. My friend saw the photo squabble as an attempt by Letitzia to preserve the image of the next generation of monarchy. It backfired, obviously. He agrees that the older generation doesn’t like Letitzia, but he saw it as her trying to shield the girls from negative press associated with their aunt and uncle.
It is too bad Felipe couldn’t, or wouldn’t, go as far as stripping the HRH and Infanta title from his sister. She is poised for a comeback in public life and that will undermine any goodwill towards this House.
Why would he? She is his sister and he isn’t better.
He said he would distance himself from corruption and f.e. end his friendship to Javier Lopez… The leaked SMS with Lopez proof they were lying to the public. Letizia and Felipe are supporting their corrupt friends while preaching…
I have to give Leonor and little Sofia credit here. At that age, I was very annoyed at taking any kind of pictures, especially pictures with my grandparents. I was a moody teen but I hated the idea of standing around and smiling for posterity’s sake and the concept so cheesy and ridiculous. I am much better about this now but had I been in little Sofia or Leonor’s shoes, I would have been such a brat about this saving face photo op, thinking it was stupid I had to retake “nice” pictures for the media with my grandmother. These girls are taking this way better than I would at that age.
They seem lovely. I was impressed the way they were greeting and shaking hands at the church on Easter. Then granny grabbbed them…
I understand they are being raised to be this way, but still, credit where it is due!
Tale as old as time, two queens not playing nice in the palace sandbox. Same with the last Tsarina of Russia and her MIL. It was wise of both to stage a photo op.
Sophia pulled her granddaughters away from the job they were doing greeting guests at the church to take an unnecessary photo rather than waiting five minutes or 10 minutes until they got out of the church. I still don’t understand how either of the girls or Letizia is at fault for telling Sophia to knocK it off and just do what she was supposed to which is greet people while leaving the church.
Felipe is gorgeous….but where did he get his height from?
His father was taller. People shrink with age eg Prince Philip
All the kids of Sofia and JC are tall.
Juan Carlos is tall.
Cristina ,Felipe’s sister is reported close to 6ft tall, not sure her actual height,
The two little girls are beautiful.