King Felipe has cut short his family holiday to Greece amid the major wildfire situation in Spain.
Sky News reports that another 500 soldiers have been deployed, taking the total to 1,900, to tackle up to 20 major wildfires, with the majority in Spain’s northwestern region of Galicia.
After landing at Torrejón Air Base, northeast of Madrid, on Sunday, King Felipe, 57, travelled straight to the Headquarters of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), where he was greeted by the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, and the Lieutenant General in charge of the UME, Francisco Javier Marcos.
At the headquarters, he received the latest information on the deployment of UME troops in forest firefighting tasks.
In an Instagram video, King Felipe also expressed his gratitude to the emergency services, saying: “Thank you to all active military, civilian, volunteer, etc. that you are fighting the devastating wildfires ravaging much of our country.
“Our recognition and maximum gratitude for the incredible effort and work you are doing to protect the civilian population and try to extinguish them as quickly as possible.”
Over the past few days, even while on vacation, the King has closely monitored the progress of the fire.
HELLO!’s sister publication, HOLA! reports that sources at Zarzuela Palace have stated that the monarch has remained in contact with the presidents of the communities affected the most by the wildfires, as well as the Spanish government.
© Instagram / @casareal.esHELLO!‘s Galicia-born Digital Content Director, Andrea Caamano, says: “Spain is facing a very serious situation, and King Felipe has always demonstrated how to act when the nation confronts a crisis.
“He was present in Valencia after the devastating floods, and this is yet another catastrophe where visible leadership is essential.
“With the UME stretched across the country and local communities working tirelessly to contain the wildfires, King Felipe would never consider remaining on holiday abroad as an option.”
Family holiday
Before returning home due to the emergency situation in Spain, King Felipe had been spending quality time with his wife, Queen Letizia, 52, and their daughters, Princess Leonor, 19, and Infanta Sofia, 18.
HOLA! reports that the Spanish royals had been staying at King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands’ summer residence in the Peloponnese region of Greece.
© Getty ImagesIt comes ahead of Princess Leonor’s final year of military training, where she will join the San Javier General Air Academy in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Infanta Sofia is heading to Forward College, where she will study Politics and International Relations.
© Getty ImagesThe three-year degree is taught in Lisbon the first year, Paris the second and Berlin the third.
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