King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will visit Ceuta and Melilla on 13 and 14 October, their first trip to the two autonomous cities since Felipe became king in June 2014.
The visit follows the mass arrival of irregular migrants in Ceuta on 30 and 31 July and comes almost 19 years after the last visit by a reigning Spanish monarch, Juan Carlos I, in November 2007. ALSO READ: Spanish court to investigate deadly Ceuta migrant surge as possible ‘hybrid warfare’ operation.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will not accompany the royal couple. According to Spanish state broadcaster RTVE, government sources have indicated that Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres, who has overall responsibility for coordinating the response to the situation in Ceuta, could join them.
The government and the Royal Household confirmed the dates in identical statements issued almost simultaneously on Thursday. The itinerary, agreed between the two institutions, is expected to be published in the coming days.
The trip will follow the king and queen’s participation in Spain’s National Day celebrations in Madrid on 12 October.
Asked by journalists whether he was looking forward to visiting the cities, Felipe replied: ‘As always. He was arriving at the Spanish Congress to open the 12th Ibero-American Parliamentary Forum.
Calls for greater European cooperation
Confirmation of the visit comes shortly after Felipe called for stronger cooperation between EU countries in response to the events in Ceuta.
Speaking on Tuesday at the state dinner held for French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife during their visit to Spain, the king described the mass crossing of the border this summer as ‘unacceptable’. ALSO READ: Sánchez apologises to Macron over treaty rejection as leaders reaffirm Spain-France ties.
‘What happened in Ceuta this summer – the mass intrusion of tens of thousands of people violating a Spanish border that is also a European border – is unacceptable and poses an enormous challenge from the standpoint of security, public order and humanitarian concerns,’ he said.
Felipe urged EU members to be ‘more effective and show greater solidarity in protecting the Union’s external border’, arguing that the burden should be shared.
‘Those countries facing greater pressure because we are located on the European Union’s external border cannot shoulder alone a responsibility that belongs to everyone,’ he said.
A visit at the centre of political debate
The prospect of a royal visit has repeatedly attracted political attention since the July crisis.
On 31 August, Sánchez said the trip would take place because there were ‘reasons and arguments for it’, although he added that it would happen when the conditions are right’. ALSO READ: Spanish PM backs Morocco over Ceuta migrant crisis as King Felipe visit is announced.
Opposition claims that the government was blocking the visit prompted a sharp response from the executive, which dismissed the allegation as a ‘hoax’ spread by the right.
The arrangements require coordination between the government and the Royal Household. Under Spain’s constitutional framework, the monarch’s official public activities require government authorisation and countersignature. The executive also directs foreign policy and assesses the political timing and prudence of official visits. ALSO READ: Spain will not ‘turn migrants into the enemy’, Sánchez tells UN as he highlights Ceuta crisis.
King has maintained contact with Ceuta’s leadership
Felipe has closely followed developments in Ceuta since the mass border crossing at the end of July, holding several meetings with Sánchez and with the autonomous city’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas.
After meeting the king at Marivent Palace in Mallorca in August, Vivas praised his ‘commitment’ to Ceuta. He described their conversation as ‘encouraging’ and said the monarch had conveyed ‘affection, support and encouragement for all the people of Ceuta at one of the city’s most difficult moments’.
‘I have no doubt whatsoever that the king will visit us, and I have no doubt whatsoever that the king will support us, while maintaining the constitutional role that belongs to him,’ Vivas said.
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— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) October 1, 2026
Los reyes de España visitarán Ceuta los días 13 y 14 de octubre https://t.co/oDjyczLErt pic.twitter.com/X5fSdsfHW2
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