King Felipe VI in Mallorca: the before and after of his meeting at Marivent with Sánchez

Felipe VI took part this Tuesday along with the crew of the Aifos sailboat in the first day of the 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE sailing competition in Mallorca. This way, the monarch alternated his passion for sailing with his institutional duties. In the afternoon, the king met with President Pedro Sánchez at the Palacio de Marivent.

A year ago, both leaders had an audience at the Palacio de la Almudaina in Palma de Mallorca. On that same day, Sánchez had testified as a witness at Moncloa before Judge Peinado regarding the investigation against his wife, Begoña Gómez. The head of the Executive had also presided over the last Council of Ministers of the political term.

Now, the president has met again with the king with several open fronts, among which the Santos Cerdán case stands out. In addition, this very Tuesday it became known that the Supreme Court had confirmed the indictment of the Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz. However, Felipe VI's image has been strengthened, mainly after Paiporta, which was "a turning point" in the ties between the leaders.

Specifically, in the images of the posed photo of both leaders, Felipe VI can be seen with a more serious expression than when he was on the frigate. Moreover, the images show Sánchez with a tired and thinner appearance. In fact, at the beginning of the month, the news was how veiny his hands appeared, according to expert analysts.

It should be remembered that the king met with several former presidents and one of the reasons was Sánchez's government, as we already reported in elcierredigital.com. In contrast to the formality of protocol, on Tuesday morning a happy Felipe could be seen steering the Aifos.

Felipe VI's morning of sailing on the Aifos

The king arrived at the Real Club Náutico de Palma at eleven thirty in the morning this Tuesday. Afterwards, he dressed like the rest of the Aifos crew: blue polo jersey, gray shorts, and athletic shoes. A total of 117 boats from up to 24 nationalities took part in this first day of the 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE sailing competition in Mallorca.

According to Vanitatis, due to the lack of wind, it was only possible to hold a single regatta. At the end of the competition, the crew moved to the VIP area. This year, the person in charge of managing this exclusive area has been Angie López Grijalbo with her Beso Beach.

The monarch has been on the Balearic island since last Saturday. It was the following day, Sunday, when he carried out a technical sailing session with the Aifos to prepare the sailboat for the competition. Specifically, details such as equipment calibrations, sail adjustments, and performance checks under different wind conditions were reviewed.

The Aifos is led by Admiral Jaime Rodríguez Toubes, who keeps a close relationship with the king. However, the Spanish Navy boat in which they will sail and which finished second last year  is not among the favorites in this edition. Experts consulted by Vanitatis point to HYDRA HM Hospitales as a possible winner of this 43rd Copa del Rey Mapfre.

For now, it is unknown whether Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía will attend the competition, as they have done on only two occasions. Meanwhile, Queen Letizia will arrive in Palma next Sunday to attend the 15th edition of the Atlántica Mallorca Film Fest. This week, the queen has also taken part in the annual meeting of directors of Instituto Cervantes centers, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The other official commitments of King Felipe VI

In addition to the regatta, Felipe VI received several regional leaders at the Palacio Real de la Almudaina last Monday. Among them were Margalida Prohens, president of the Balearic Islands, and Gabriel Le Senne, president of the Parliament of the Balearic Islands. This Tuesday, the king and Sánchez have met again and the tension experienced in Paiporta has resurfaced.

Last November 3, Felipe VI, Letizia, and the president coincided in Paiporta. The reason for the trip was to have contact with the residents affected by the DANA tragedy in Valencia. However, the news was that the residents threw mud and insults at the leaders.

Sánchez  left the place at that moment, while  the king and queen remained and spoke with the population. As we already reported in elcierredigital.com, it was this conduct of the monarchs that broke relations with Sánchez. According to several witnesses consulted, when they were at the Generalitat's Emergency Center, the president reproached them for not having left with him.