Opening concert in Oviedo

The royal agenda began on Thursday, 22 October 2026 with the XXXIV concert before the Princess of Asturias Awards at the Príncipe Felipe Auditorium. King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía arrived shortly before 19.00, greeted by Asturias president Adrián Barbón, government delegate Cecilia Pérez and foundation president Ana Isabel Fernández while the Real Banda de Gaitas Ciudad de Oviedo played. The programme was dedicated to the German composer Felix Mendelssohn and featured his Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 52, 'Lobgesang', performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the Principality of Asturias with the foundation choir. Lionel Messi and Patti Smith, both laureates, were absent from the audience. Afterwards the family walked among well-wishers, and the King left the hall arm in arm with Sofía, talking and smiling. Onlookers cheered Leonor, telling her she would make a good queen, and Letizia received gifts including a child's drawing, a book and a plush toy.

Friday morning audiences

Friday, 23 October opened with audiences at the Hotel de la Reconquista in Oviedo. At 11.20 Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía received the 2025 Fin de Grado award winners from the University of Oviedo in the Salón de Consejos. At 11.40 the King and Queen met recipients of the Medallas de Asturias and the Hijos Predilectos and Hijos Adoptivos 2026 distinctions. At 12.30, in the Salón Covadonga, Leonor met the 2026 Princess of Asturias laureates alone for the first time, a step the agenda presents as a new milestone for a princess who is now a university student. At 12.50 the whole family gathered with the jury presidents, foundation board members and honorary patrons.

Outfits and coordination

The sisters again dressed in a coordinated way, according to Spanish fashion coverage. ABC Tu Diario en Español and La Razón described Leonor in a pink suit with wide trousers and nude heels, while Sofía wore a burgundy suit and flat beige pumps. El Mundo described the pair's suits in pink and aubergine, with loose hair in soft waves for both. Queen Letizia chose a navy suit with a light blue blouse featuring a large neck bow, paired with a black Carolina Herrera bag, according to La Razón. On Thursday the Queen had worn black trousers with a green top from the Elie Saab for H&M collection, and Sofía wore a navy blue ruffled dress.

Ceremony and what comes next

The awards ceremony is scheduled for 18.30 on Friday, 23 October at the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo. The King and Queen will preside, with Leonor and Sofía attending. The agenda lists a speech by the Princess of Asturias during the ceremony. Thursday's concert was the first public engagement of the family for these awards, and the Friday audiences were the first time Leonor received the laureates on her own.