One week after drawing comparisons to Frozen's Queen Elsa in a dazzling ice-blue cape gown, Queen Letizia of Spain delivered another gorgeous look for yet another state dinner. The Spanish Queen attended a state banquet on October 6 at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, hosted by the President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander Stubb, and First Lady Suzanne Innes-Stubb in honor of her and King Felipe's state visit to the country.
For the occasion, the ever-stylish Queen wore a figure-hugging black velvet gown with long sleeves, styling her tresses half-up, half-down in waves. Letizia previously wore the design by Felipe Varela in 2017 during the President of Argentina's state visit to Spain. While she didn't wear a tiara with the gown this time around, Letizia still sparkled in a diamond flower brooch, diamond stud earrings and twin diamond bracelets that once belonged to Queen Victoria Eugenie and were bequeathed to the Queens of Spain.
Letizia and Felipe were received by the presidential couple in the renowned Dining Hall on Tuesday, before proceeding to the State Hall to begin the banquet.
© Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images"¡Bienvenidos a Finlandia! It is a great honor for Suzanne and myself to welcome Your Majesties to Finland for a state visit," President Stubb said in his speech at the dinner. "The last state visit from Spain took place thirty-seven years ago. In 1989, His Majesty King Juan Carlos spoke here in Helsinki about the geographical distance between Finland and Spain, but also about how close our two countries are in spirit.
"I think that observation has stood the test of time. And tonight, Your Majesties, we have the privilege of continuing that story."
© Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva / AFP via Getty Images / Finland OUTFollowing the president's remarks, King Felipe addressed the guests, even trying his hand at Finnish at one point. "Every state visit is a great opportunity to celebrate the journey of two countries," the Spanish monarch said. "And within that wealth of historical moments, exchanges, trade, and memories of travelers and residents, there is also—and, I would say, above all—the surprise of each country upon recognizing in the other something strangely its own, close, familiar. This is what many Spaniards—or so I'm told—experience with Finland: those who have lived here for years and those visiting for the first time."
© Getty ImagesThe trip, which kicked off on October 5 and will conclude on October 7, is the King and Queen's first state visit to the country. The previous state visit to Finland from Spain was paid by Felipe's parents, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, in 1989.
According to the Spanish Royal Household, Letizia and Felipe's trip "represents an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations between two countries that are partners in the European Union and allies in NATO." The couple's state visit is also part of "Spain's commitment to strategic autonomy and to the security and defense of Europe."
