The annual Princess of Asturias Awards covers three days of events, so we get quite a tour of royal sartorial stylings, as well as a peek into the sheer hard work it is to be fifteen and the heir to the throne. Of course, it being her second year and all, she’s an old pro. The rest of the family, including grandma, were on hand to lend support.
The Princess of Asturias Foundation recognizes people or organisations who make notable achievements in science, humanities and public affairs. On October 15, the entire royal family traveled to Oviedo. They toured the site hosting the cultural activities this year (an old weapons factory that has been repurposed). The Queen repeated her pink Marco Luengo boiled wool coat. Princess Leonor wore a Mango dress and a Carolina Herrera coat while Infanta Sofia also wore a Carolina Herrera coat and Pretty Ballerinas flats.
On October 16, day two, the family held an audience with the Award laureates, which was moved to an open air venue. Letizia wore her (much) repeated peacock Carolina Herrera dress, Leonor wore the Poete Mirta dress, and Sofia was in a Mango shirtdress.
The big event is the presentation, which includes a speech by the Princess. The Queen broke her sartorial tradition by repeating her blue Del Pozo. Typically, she wears Varela to this event, but the muted proceedings this year required a somber color and the high couture Del Pozo fit the bill. The event itself, like everything else, was moved to a different venue, the Hotel de la Reconquista. It was held with a minimal amount of attendees. In addition to the concessions made due to the Covid crisis, the entire ceremony was held in a mood of half mourning.
A little background on the choice of clothes by the Spanish ladies, courtesy of Iselen:
The Princess of Asturias award for Concord was awarded to the Spanish medical staff who fought against the first wave of Covid. They sent as their representative the mother of a 28 year old family doctor who died from Covid and the daughter of 2 pharmacists who, despite being retired, went back to work at their drugstore. Sadly, they died the same week.
The winner of the Arts Award, Ennio Morricone, died some weeks after hearing that he would be honored. His son came to conduct the orchestra to pay homage to his father. It was extremely moving and brought tears to everybody’s eyes: the winners, the few guests, and even Leonor, who had to hold back tears during the speeches. I’ve never felt so much sadness in Asturias atmosphere during the awards week ever in my life. This is why the Queen is repeating outfits nonstop, and why Queen Sofia came to Asturias to offer support. This is why frivolous outfits for the girls wouldn’t have been appropriate.
On October 17, the Spanish royals visited the rural parish of Somao, Pravia, Asturias to present the Exemplary Town of Asturias Award. The town was awarded for preserving its Indian and rural heritage. Princess Leonor unveiled the plaque and delivered her second speech in three days. The entire family toured the area and greeted locals and dignitaries.
The Queen was in a Hugo Boss trench coat, Leonor wore the Springfield Essential Checked coat, and the Infanta wore a Zara Puffer Gilet – which I covet.
For a deep dive on the outfits, see the Queen Letiza Style blog. She also takes you through previous year’s ensembles. Please let us know your thoughts!