Photo: The Spanish Royal House
Schoolchildren in Helsinki sang for Queen Letizia
Pupils at Käpylä school welcomed Queen Letizia with a choral version of a Spanish classic. The first day of the state visit to Finland also brought a welcome ceremony, a luncheon at the City Hall and a business event on artificial intelligence.
When Queen Letizia arrived at Käpylä school in Helsinki on Tuesday, the pupils had prepared a surprise. They greeted her with a choral version of "Que canten los niños", one of the best known songs by the Spanish artist José Luis Perales.
The Queen was visibly moved, and broke protocol to praise them. "You did wonderfully", she told the pupils, before staying to talk with them about the song and about how they are learning Spanish.
The only one of its kind
Käpylä school is the only state school in Finland offering a bilingual programme in Spanish. The Queen visited it together with Finland's First Lady Suzanne Innes-Stubb, and the two met teachers and members of the school council. In the classroom the world map was in Spanish, and the flags of the Spanish-speaking countries were pinned to the noticeboard.
A welcome ceremony in the morning
The day began with an official welcome ceremony outside the Presidential Palace, where President Alexander Stubb and Suzanne Innes-Stubb received the royal couple. Members of the public could watch from Market Square, and the two couples greeted the crowd from the palace balcony.
This is the first state visit by the Spanish Crown to Finland in 37 years. The last one was in 1989, with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía. After the ceremony, King Felipe and President Stubb held talks, and the delegations met with Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares present.
Technology on the agenda
King Felipe also met the Speaker of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. Later in the day he attended a business event at Finlandia Hall, where around 60 Spanish and Finnish business leaders gathered to discuss artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum technology. Both the King and President Stubb spoke.
The King argued for European technological sovereignty, saying it cannot be achieved by one country alone, but by bringing together the talent, research, investment and companies that already exist across Europe. He noted that Spain and Finland complement each other, and that the relationship between the two countries should take on a clearer technological dimension.
Gala dinner and on to Lapland
Tuesday ends with a gala dinner at the Presidential Palace, hosted by the presidential couple. The dinner is held in the State Hall, completed in 1907. Since Finland is a republic, Queen Letizia is not expected to wear a tiara.
On Wednesday the royal couple will lay wreaths at the Heroes' Cross and at Marshal Mannerheim's grave at Hietaniemi Cemetery, before visiting Finlandia Hall to see the exhibition on the architect Alvar Aalto and to open an exhibition on contemporary Spanish architecture. They then travel north to Rovaniemi in Lapland, where the King is to visit the Lapland Air Wing and the Jaeger Brigade and meet conscripts. The visit concludes at the University of Lapland with speeches by both the President and the King on European security.