Spanish royal family's 2025 gifts published: from Tutankhamun mask to Xi's mobile, plus €9.4m budget

Annual transparency release

The Spanish Royal Household published on Tuesday its annual register of institutional gifts for 2025, listing 429 objects received by King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor, Infanta Sofía and Queen Sofía. The disclosure forms part of the transparency measures Felipe VI introduced after his 2014 proclamation.

“as a consequence of the principles of renewal and transparency of the Crown”

stated by the monarch in his inaugural speech. This year's publication comes amid public debate over gifts to officials after jewels were found in a safe of former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

The most striking gifts

Highlight items include a replica of Tutankhamun’s funeral mask that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi gave Felipe VI during his official visit to Spain in February 2025. During the state visit to China in November, President Xi Jinping presented the King with a latest-generation mobile phone and his wife Peng Liyuan gave Queen Letizia a hand-embroidered Manila shawl made of Chinese silk. Other diplomatic gifts: a xylophone from the president of Mali, two boxes of mangoes from Pakistan’s prime minister, a coffee set from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a miniature copy of the Code of Hammurabi from Iraq’s president, and a water bottle from the Iranian ambassador. From the domestic front, the King received a portrait made with ash from the La Palma volcano and several personalised football shirts.

Who received what

Of the 429 items, 71 more than in 2024, the King received 214, the Queen 98, and 67 were addressed to both. Princess Leonor received 21 gifts individually; another eight were shared with her mother or sister, and Infanta Sofía got one sole present. Queen Sofía received ten. Most presents are books, textiles, or local food products without significant monetary value.

Felipe VI214

Letizia98

Both monarchs67

Princess Leonor21

Queen Sofía10

Infanta Sofía1

Other shared18

Felipe VI

214

Letizia

98

Both monarchs

67

Princess Leonor

21

Queen Sofía

10

Infanta Sofía

1

Other shared

18

Data from the article text

Spending and salaries

Separately, the Royal Household disclosed its 2025 budget execution: total expenditure reached €9,414,553, including €4,927,951 for staff, €3,105,862 for operating costs and protocol, and €1,380,530 for capital investments. To cover strategic IT and secure communications projects, the palace drew €983,403 from its accumulated savings. Within that amount, €19,492 covered a 3.5% pay rise for the King (€287,048), the Queen (€157,867) and Queen Sofía (€129,173); the princess and her sister receive no salary. The core state allocation remained frozen at €8,431,150, unchanged since 2021. A wider study backed by the palace estimated the monarchy’s total cost at €104.89 million when including security, vehicle fleet and building maintenance covered by government ministries.

Rules since 2015

A gift regulation approved by Felipe VI on 1 January 2015 requires all institutional presents to be handed over to the National Heritage (Patrimonio Nacional). Exceptions apply only to consumable items, objects of trivial economic value or those without artistic or historical significance, which are used, donated to charities or destroyed. The annual list, published on the Casa del Rey website, also details the date, occasion and donor of each item.