The King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia traveled this Monday afternoon to Valencia, where they met in private with a delegation of residents from the two buildings affected by last Thursday’s fire in the Campanar neighborhood. The tragedy left ten people dead and left hundreds displaced from their homes.
Minutes after 5:45 PM, the King and Queen arrived at the Palau de la Música in Valencia, just a short distance from the hotel where some of the relocated residents are staying, to hold a meeting with several of those affected.
Upon their arrival, their Majesties were welcomed by the regional president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón; the minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant; the president of Les Corts Valencianes, Llanos Massó; the government delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé; the mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá; and the president of the Valencia Provincial Council, Vicent Mompó.
The private meeting with the families of the victims as well as the displaced who have lost their homes took place with the utmost discretion, and it is not expected that those evacuated will return to the damaged building. It was decided that they remain at a distance to avoid revisiting their charred homes, and to spare them from facing again the crowd that gathered to see their Majesties as well as the media.
Sources from the Royal Household confirm that the private encounter lasted “far longer than expected.” The King and Queen arrived at the Palau de la Música around 5:50 PM, and authorities and security forces were awaiting their arrival.
In a related note, the King dedicated this Sunday a” memory filled with emotion” to the victims of the fire and to the injured, their families, and loved ones, during his speech at the official dinner of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. He appeared moved by the events and began his remarks by honoring those affected by the blaze. “The mourning of all Valencia is the mourning of all Spain,” he said, adding that he would visit Valencia with the Queen Letizia to share the Valencians’ grief and sorrow.
According to Royal Household sources, the monarchs intend to express their support for those affected by the fire with this visit and will also meet with the emergency services who participated in extinguishing the blaze and assisting the victims.
Meanwhile, Mazón expressed gratitude for the royal visit on the same Monday, highlighting the Governor’s extraordinary sensitivity shown by Felipe VI in taking an interest in the fire situation from the very beginning, a stance echoed by other regional presidents.