Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will visit Ceuta and Melilla on October 13 and 14, with Moroccan approval, according to El País, citing Spanish defense and diplomatic sources. Morocco demands the return of the two Spanish-administered cities, which it considers an integral part of its territory.
The trip, announced Thursday, will be their first official visit to the cities since Felipe ascended the throne in 2014. The royal couple will travel to Ceuta before Melilla, with the detailed itinerary expected in the coming days, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will not accompany the monarchs, government sources confirmed. His office said he does not generally join their official trips and that a minister would likely represent the government during the visit.
El País said the announcement followed two months of speculation and disagreements between Ceuta’s authorities, the central government and the royal palace. Despite reporting Moroccan approval, the newspaper also cited military sources anticipating a response from Rabat.
The visit recalls the diplomatic confrontation triggered by King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía’s trip to Ceuta and Melilla on November 5 and 6, 2007. Morocco strongly opposed that visit, which was Juan Carlos’s first to the cities as Spain’s head of state.
Before the royal couple arrived, Rabat recalled its ambassador to Madrid, Omar Azziman, for consultations for an indefinite period on King Mohammed VI’s instructions. Moroccan government spokesman Khalid Naciri condemned the initiative, while Spain defended the trip as a response to requests from residents.
The 2007 visit also prompted demonstrations and an extraordinary parliamentary session in Rabat, where then-Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi described it as a provocation. Madrid sought to contain the dispute by emphasizing its friendship with Morocco, but the confrontation highlighted the sensitivity surrounding Spanish royal visits to the two cities.
