The last time the queen accompanied Felipe to this church was in 2004, two months before the marriage.
The Spanish Royal House preserves a series of deep-rooted traditions in which its members participate regularly. One of them is the visit to the Christ of Medinaceli, which takes place on the first Friday of every March. This year, King Felipe VI resumed this custom, attending without Queen Letizia.
Although Felipe and Letizia often participate in separate events, the Spanish monarchs recently returned from London, where they attended the funeral honoring Constantine of Greece, brother of Queen Sofia and last Hellenic king. Despite this, the monarch continues to avoid these traditions, something unusual for the royal family, rooted in this custom for almost three centuries.
On the first Friday in March, the Basilica of Jesús de Medinaceli, located in the Letras neighborhood of Madrid, hosts an unmissable event. Devotees eagerly await the opportunity to perform the traditional foot-kissing of the 17th century image of Jesus of Nazareth, this being the only day of the year when the church allows visits for that purpose.
The Spanish royal family has a strong connection with this act, rooted for almost three centuries. For this reason, King Felipe has fulfilled this tradition alone, while his wife, Letizia, continues to avoid it. The last time Letizia participated in this foot kiss was in 2004, shortly before her wedding with the then Prince of Asturias.
The monarch, father of Princess Leonor, has visited the church for the second time since his accession to the throne, with Queen Sofia and Infanta Elena who represented the royal family in previous years. Felipe's arrival was received with applause by those present, wearing the medal of the Medinaceli Brotherhood, awarded in 2018.
