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Safety first! Princess Leonor was looking out for her father King Felipe on Thursday. The 14-year-old future Queen was caught on camera swiftly reminding her dad to put his face mask back on after his speech. The monarch briefly removed the mask to deliver remarks at a ceremony held in honor of COVID-19 victims. The King appeared to thank his firstborn for the reminder, before putting it back on. Felipe and Queen Letizia presided over the event with their daughters Leonor and Infanta Sofia , 13, at the Royal Palace’s Plaza de la Armeria in Madrid. The monarchs and Sofia coordinated in blue shades for the ceremony with the Queen recycling a long-sleeve Carolina Herrera sheath dress and Sofia wearing a belted shirtdess and pointed flats. The King complemented his wife and youngest daughter sporting a navy suit. Meanwhile, Leonor wore a Claudie Pierlot dress that featured a black bodice and patterned skirt. The foursome donned matching black face masks for the outing.
The royals joined state representatives and government officials at the ceremony on July 16. A cauldron was lit by journalist Ana Blanco, who acted as master of ceremonies. Leonor accompanied her father and representatives for the victims and health workers to the front of the cauldron and laid down white roses. The King remembered those who have lost their lives to the novel coronavirus in his speech, conveying his “deepest regret” to their families. “Today is a day that we will keep in our memory; a day that will remain engraved in our hearts; because today we pay tribute, with all our respect and the highest solemnity of the State, to the thousands of citizens who have lost their lives Due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Felipe said (via HOLA! Spain). “They are not alone in their pain; it is a pain that we share; their duel is ours, which here is present before all the Spanish. Pain and grief in which all of us also recognize ourselves; united in the same universal and solidarity principles.”
“It has been difficult, very difficult. Because to this situation logical feelings of fear have been added, of fear for the health of family and friends, of concern for employment; of fatigue, dejection ... of uncertainty,” Felipe added. “Responsibility, moral strength, determination in the face of adversity and the spirit of overcoming of the Spanish people show us the way forward to face and overcome difficulties. We will overcome them. That will be, without a doubt, the best renewed tribute that we can offer tomorrow to those who today, with all justice and merit, we remember, recognize and honor.”
The ceremony concluded with a moment of silence for the victims. Last week, Letizia, Felipe, Leonor and Sofia attended a service at Madrid’s Almudena Cathedral (Santa María la Real de La Almudena) in honor of coronavirus victims. In the midst of the pandemic, the Spanish Princesses recorded a heartfelt message for children in April. “You don’t need to be a grown up to be aware of the incredible difficulties we are going through in Spain and other countries,” Sofia said. “This is why we want to say thank you to all the people who are helping out and looking after us in so many ways.”