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The express journey of King Felipe the sixth: in the morning at the coronation of Charles III of England; in the afternoon in the final of the Copa del Rey of Spain.
The Governmental and Institutional Travel and Tourism (GITT) sector is characterized by a multitude of elements that clearly differentiate it from other types of travel, travel or tourism, in the broadest sense of the word. These trips have an element that is fundamental, and it is the immediacy motivated by extremely tight agendas.
There are many examples throughout history, and the same thing happens in our most recent newspaper library. However, it is necessary to dwell on one that occurred just three weeks ago, when the entire world had its eyes on London, on May 6th, 2023, with the coronation of Charles III of England. The solemn act, which had not taken place in the United Kingdom for more than seven decades, was attended by institutional representatives from all over the world, including, of course, all royal houses, heads of state, etc.
Apart from the coronation ceremonial, whose singularity makes it an object of study in itself, the act was attended, among other representatives of royal houses, by the King of Spain, Felipe VI, along with his wife, Queen Letizia. The ceremony began at mid-morning, at 11:00 (local time), in the iconic Westminster Abbey, in London.
In order to attend everything that the coronation ceremony itself implies, both Felipe VI and Letizia had to be in London long before 11 in the morning, especially when this type of event, of a triumphant nature, is sometimes used to greet and strengthen ties with other representatives of royal houses, heads of state, etc.
The coronation ceremony lasted around two hours, being broadcast throughout the world through the main media, and concluding around 1:00 p.m. local time, after which a lunch was offered to the more than 2,200 guests. Said lunch was also attended, among other monarchs and representatives, by Felipe VI and Letizia.
Everything related to the agenda of Felipe VI of Spain would fall within the "normality" of an event of these characteristics if it were not for the fact that a few hours later he had to be attending in Seville (Spain) a completely different act: the Final of the Copa del Rey.
This championship, which has been held in honour of the Spanish monarch since 1976, and which is awarded by the King himself, was dated May 6th at 9:00 p.m. (local time). This prompted the momentary plane on which the monarch travelled to London, a Dassault Falcon F900 of the Spanish Air Force, similar to the one used by the presidents of the Spanish Government, to become the place where Felipe VI would spend the most hours on May 6th.
Thus, at around 7:30 p.m. (local time), Felipe VI would land at Seville Airport (LZL), in order to meet with local authorities and representatives of the public-private sector, carry out the protocol acts of this event sports and, finally, attend it.
The tournament ended around 11:40 p.m. (local time), after the delivery of the Copa del Rey trophy to the winner, the Real Madrid Football Club, which was awarded by both the monarch himself and his daughter, the Infanta Sofía.
A perfect example of the complexity and immediacy involved in a governmental and institutional travel, in which everything has to be perfectly measured, in which last-minute changes are recurring and in which all the agents involved have to be perfectly coordinated so that, in less than 12 hours, a head of state can travel between two countries to carry out two unavoidable and completely different institutional acts.
