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Smiles from the City of Love! Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia were pictured grinning from ear to ear in a new selfie taken at the Olympics Opening Ceremony in Paris.
The Spanish Royal House included the cheerful image in an Instagram carousel featuring photos from Friday’s ceremony, including one of His Majesty snapping the selfie with his wife, who recycled a Carolina Herrera dress for the occasion.
Alongside the post, the Royal House wrote (translated to English): “The Paris Olympic Games begin with the opening ceremony attended by the King and Queen to give their support to the Spanish delegation 🇪🇸.”
“383 athletes from our country will fight in Paris to raise the Spanish flag to the top. They have come this far thanks to their effort, their perseverance and their passion for sport, and they are an example of what the Olympic spirit represents,” the caption continued. “Good luck to all of them! 💪🏻.”
The rain on July 26 didn’t drown out the King and Queen's cheers at the ceremony. Letizia and Felipe, who kept dry in ponchos, were filmed and photographed applauding for the Spanish athletes during the event. The King of Spain could no doubt relate to what the athletes were feeling, being a former Olympian himself.
His Majesty was a member of the Spanish Olympic Sailing team in the Soling class during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and served as Spain's flag bearer in the Parade of the Nations that year. On the eve of the 2024 opening ceremony, Felipe spoke about having “very, very special memories” of his experience in Barcelona.
The King also told members of the Spanish Olympic team: "What I want is for you to live this experience in the best way possible, to enjoy it and enjoy the excitement of getting there, because the effort you have had to make to get there is already a success. So now enjoy it and do it as best as possible, because you know how to do it very well. And nothing else. We will have the opportunity to share a little time here and tomorrow at the opening and little by little we will see the different competitions.”