Their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain conducted a state visit to Finland on 6–7 October 2026 at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb.
The presidential couple received King Felipe and Queen Letizia at an official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on Tuesday 6 October.
Following the ceremonial welcome, formal talks were held between the delegations at the Presidential Palace, which were also attended by Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares.
Following the ceremonial welcome, formal talks were held between the delegations at the Presidential Palace, which were also attended by Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares.
The visit focused on deepening bilateral relations between Finland and Spain as fellow members of both the European Union and NATO, as well as on further enhancing the close cooperation between the two countries in the fields of politics, trade and the economy, defence, culture and science.
Emphasis was also placed on the strengthening of Europe’s comprehensive security and defence, Arctic and polar issues, Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, and multilateral cooperation.
The royal couple’s visit continued with a luncheon hosted by Mayor Daniel Sazonov at Helsinki City Hall. King Felipe also met with Speaker of the Parliament Jussi Halla-aho and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.
In the afternoon, a business event in Helsinki’s Finlandia Hall brought together Finnish and Spanish companies in the artificial intelligence sector, especially those specialising in semiconductor and quantum technology. President Stubb and King Felipe both addressed the gathering.
“There are more than 250 Finnish businesses that currently operate in Spain. Finnish exports to Spain have increased in recent years,” the President noted.
In addition to the joint programme, Mrs Innes-Stubb and Queen Letizia paid a visit to Käpylä Comprehensive School.
The first day of the state visit concluded with a gala dinner hosted by the presidential couple at the Presidential Palace. “We may come from opposite corners of Europe, but we have a common understanding of what kind of Europe we want to build,” President Stubb said in his speech.
On the morning of Wednesday 7 October, the King and Queen laid a wreath at the Heroes’ Cross and Marshall Mannerheim’s grave in Hietaniemi Cemetery.
At Finlandia Hall, the presidential couple and the royal couple visited the Visions of Alvar Aalto – Finlandia Exhibition. In connection with this visit, the royal couple inaugurated an exhibition of contemporary Spanish architecture and hosted a reception in honour of their Finnish hosts.
In the afternoon, the programme continued with a visit to Rovaniemi, where President Stubb and King Felipe learned about the Lapland Air Wing and the Jaeger Brigade and met with conscripts undergoing their military service.
“We defend Europe’s border together, in the north and in the south,” President Stubb said.
The presidential couple and the royal couple later travelled to the Arktikum Arctic Science Centre and Museum, where they met with representatives of the City of Rovaniemi, the province of Lapland and the Sámi community, and explored the exhibitions at Arktikum.
The state visit concluded at the University of Lapland, where President Stubb and King Felipe delivered speeches on European security, global engagement and cooperation, and met with students.
The King and Queen were accompanied by Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares and Secretary of State for Trade at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business Amparo López Senovilla, who led the business delegation participating in the visit.
