The King of Spain, Felipe VI has had a very active schedule in recent days. The father of Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia is currently in the United States.
The monarch’s presence in New York was confirmed this Thursday, July 20, 2023. He made this trip alone without Queen Letizia and it is his last engagement abroad before starting his summer vacation with his whole family.
King Felipe in New York
King Felipe, who was in London last weekend to attend at Wimbledon, arrived in the Big Apple for an event where Spanish literature is the protagonist.
According to the press in his country, the monarch attended the Cervantes Institute in New York to present the first Joan Margarit International Poetry Prize to the American Sharon Olds.
Olds, awarded for “her non-conformist and genuine writing,” according to the jury, is 80 years old and originally from San Francisco, although she has spent the last few years in the Big Apple teaching creative writing at New York University
The laureate will first participate in an open talk in which the director of Cervantes, Luis García Montero, and Joan Margarit’s daughter, Mónica, will be present. This will be followed by a reading of poems, followed by the presentation of the award by the King.
After the two events on his official agenda, King Felipe will participate in a completely different award ceremony: the President of the European Commission, Baroness Ursula von der Leyen, will receive the Peace and Freedom Award from the Association of International Jurists, at the United Nations headquarters.
This award is presented each year to an outstanding individual or institution for their commitment to the promotion of peace through law and the rule of law as a guarantor of freedom.
