The War of Queens in Zarzuela
In the Palace of Zarzuela a battle is being waged that has ceased to be sibilina and has escalated to a more aggressive level. This is the continuation of the so-called war of queens, which reached its peak with the famous scene in the cathedral of Palma during an Easter Sunday. At that moment, Letizia humiliated Sofia in front of the cameras, facing her in an act that left Philip and all of Spain perplexed.
Mutual Animosity
Since then, Letizia has tried to disguise her deep contempt for her mother-in-law. For her part, Sofia has always rejected Letizia, considering her plebeian and now adulterous. The animosity between them is reciprocal. However, the Del Burgo affair has given some reason to the Emerite Queen, who never saw Letizia in front of the Royal House with good eyes. In the face of the horn scandal, Philip has decided to face the situation head-on, placing Letizia on the official agenda.
Letizia’s humiliation
It is an open secret that Queen Letizia has not presided over any official act in more than a month. The entire agenda is in charge of Philip, and on rare occasions Letizia accompanies him as a mere comparsa. This is something unpublished in the ten years of reign. Letizia’s humiliation is even greater when she sees that her mother-in-law, at the age of 85 and convalescent of an infection, continues to have acts of her own and to practice as the real queen of Spain. This week has happened again: Letizia has no official act, only will appear on Saturday as a companion to Philip in a military act to celebrate the 40 years of his flag oath. Letizia has become a mere vase. Instead, Sofia has attended an act that Letizia used to preside, showing her role.
The gesture of the underground war
Letizia has had to reluctantly accept her new role as queen mother, of hidden queen. However, she has demanded a condition in return: that the official acts of Sofia, like that of the Food Bank in Huesca, are not announced in the Official Agenda of Zarzuela nor appear on social networks of Casa Real. And so it has been. For the first time, an official visit of Queen Sofia has been carried out without notice, without appearing in the weekly forecasts of Zarzuela or on official social networks. Thus, Letizia feels humiliated and separated by Sofia, but pretending that everything is an accident, without it being noticed that Sofia is acting unofficially.
The Fear of Philip
Felipe has agreed to this strategy because he is still afraid that a loose and divorced Letizia could start a campaign much more destructive for the Crown than that of the Del Burgo affair. In this power game in Zarzuela, Sofia has occupied the place of Letizia. In the eyes of the press, of the public and, more dangerously, of Letizia herself, Sofia has become the queen of Spain. The Emerite Queen is now Letizia.