The Royal Household reported this Tuesday that Felipe VI held a meeting yesterday, Monday, at the Palacio de La Zarzuela with the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, and the military high command to examine the situation in Ceuta from a defense perspective.
The meeting was attended by the Chief of the Defense Staff (JEMAD), Admiral General Teodoro Esteban López Calderón, the commanding general of Ceuta, Luis Fernández Herrero, and the main operational commanders of the Armed Forces. The meeting was not included in the public agendas of the monarch or the head of Defense.
The image released by Zarzuela shows Felipe VI dressed in the uniform of Captain General of the Army and seated next to Robles and the military officials. The meeting took place more than a month after the massive entry of migrants from Morocco on July 30 and 31.
El Rey mantuvo ayer una reunión en el Palacio de La Zarzuela con la ministra de Defensa, el Jefe de Estado Mayor de la Defensa, el comandante general de Ceuta y los Mandos Operativos con el objeto de examinar la situación en Ceuta desde el punto de vista de la defensa.… pic.twitter.com/N4YNCI3wkE
— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) September 8, 2026
The Crown followed those events with "great concern and indignation" and called for a united response that would convey to the inhabitants of Ceuta and Melilla the support of the entire country. Felipe VI has also since defended coexistence and social cohesion in the autonomous city.
A visit to Ceuta still without a date
The meeting with the military commanders comes as the Royal Household and the Government prepare a forthcoming visit by Felipe VI to Ceuta. The monarch expressed his desire to travel to the city during the meeting he held on September 2 with the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, coinciding with the celebration of Ceuta Day.
Vivas explained then that the head of state wanted to go personally after the crisis and bring to the population "the support of all Spain". The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, initially stated that the trip would take place when the appropriate conditions were met and later assured that it would take place "in the coming weeks."
The visit will be Felipe VI's first trip to Ceuta since he ascended to the throne in 2014. The date remains pending confirmation, although the Government and the Royal Household are already working on very close dates.
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