If there were to be a single word to describe the days the Royal Family has spent in Palma, it would be atypical. Because the national and international news has marked this stay on the island where they establish their official summer residence. On the domestic front, the threat against national sovereignty in Ceuta has occupied most of the King’s thoughts. And internationally, Abelardo de la Espriella’s inauguration forced him to make a quick trip to Colombia between Thursday and Saturday. But there are traditions that remain despite busy schedules, and the Royal Family does not want to give up on them. And dinner at their favorite spot on the island is one of them.
Felipe VI arrived from Cali this Saturday afternoon on a plane from the Air and Space Army that dropped him off in Palma. From there, he went to the Palacio de la Almudaina, where he presided over the trophy presentation of the 44th Copa del Rey Mapfre. At this event, the boat he competes on, Hispania, came in second, so the Monarch had a fun moment while receiving the trophy along with the rest of the Navy team.
Without resting, Don Felipe went to Portixol, the small port of the Balearic capital where the restaurant Mia is located. The spot has become the gastronomic meeting point for the Royal Family on the island. Inside the venue, the Monarch was awaited by his mother, Queen Sofía; his wife, Queen Doña Letizia; and his daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía. There was also one very special guest at the gathering.
This was Jean Henri Fruchaud, widower of Princess Tatiana Radziwill, one of Queen Sofía’s closest confidantes. The couple, along with Irene of Greece, were regular presences at Marivent throughout all the summers. But last year Doña Sofía went through one of the toughest moments, saying goodbye to her closest friends within just two weeks.
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As a result of years of almost family-like relations, Jean Henri wanted to join the Balearic summer to, together with the Emérita, ease the loneliness of a place that brings them such good memories. Fruchaud is a friend of the whole family, and proof of this is that he joined the dinner, which lasted past midnight.
As a curiosity, for this occasion Infanta Sofía wore a dress that had passed through the hands of her mother and the Princess. It is the Desigual outfit that the Queen debuted in 2024 at Marivent and that Leonor recycled last year for the same event. Now it is Sofía who has worn it. Doña Letizia, on her part, repeated the white dress she also wore at the reception for Balearic civil society in 2025. The only one who debuted a new outfit was Princess Leonor, with a dress from the Babbaki brand.
With this dinner, the Royal Family usually concludes their public appearances on the island. The balance of this year in terms of leisure activities ends with three appearances by the Princess and the Infanta, who participated in the reception for Balearic civil society and visited an inclusion center for people with mental health issues. One more was made by their mother, the Queen, who presided over the closing of the Mallorca Film Festival. It is expected that the three of them will leave the island once the week begins, while Felipe VI will stay a few more days in the archipelago with his mother.
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