Spanish crown returns to Ceuta after 19 years amid lingering migration crisis
King Felipe VI visits Ceuta and Melilla today and tomorrow with Queen Letizia, the first royal trip to both cities since 2007, coming two and a half months after a mass influx of migrants into the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta.
King Felipe VI has returned to Ceuta, Spain, after 19 years of absence. This marks the first time a reigning monarch has visited the city since the 20th century. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will spend a two-day visit in Ceuta and Melilla, beginning their official trip on Friday. Their visit follows a surge of illegal migration to Ceuta, where around 72,000 individuals crossed over from Morocco on July 30 and 31.
The monarchs will be inaugurated at the City Hall in Ceuta and will pay tribute to those who died during attempts to cross the border into Ceuta's Muslim cemetery. In contrast to the 2007 visit by his great-grandfather King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, King Felipe VI will spend the night in Ceuta, a change from the previous royal couple who did not.
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