Spain’s King Felipe VI has met Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the National Palace in Mexico City, in his first trip to the country in more than seven years.
It was also the King’s first meeting with Sheinbaum since she took office almost two years ago. He flew in accompanied by foreign minister José Manuel Albares and education minister Milagros Tolón.
The last time the monarch had visited was in December 2018, for the inauguration of then president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Sheinbaum welcomed him at the Puerta de Honor, where the Mexican and Spanish anthems were played.
The two leaders posed for photographs in the palace before holding a private meeting. In a message on social media, Sheinbaum described the encounter as cordial and said the pair had discussed indigenous peoples and the historical links between the two nations.
She said both sides had agreed to strengthen bilateral relations. Mexican officials said the talks had also covered cultural heritage, trade and the football tournament that brought the King to the country.
Albares called relations between the two nations excellent and fraternal. He cast the meeting as a boost to ties ahead of the Ibero-American Summit, due to take place in Madrid on November 4-5.
Mexico’s foreign ministry said the two countries would keep strengthening their diplomatic links.
Relations had cooled sharply in recent years. In 2019, López Obrador wrote to Felipe VI demanding that Spain apologise for abuses committed during its conquest of Mexico.
The letter went unanswered. Sheinbaum cited that silence when she declined to invite the King to her inauguration in October 2024.
The mood shifted in March, when Felipe VI acknowledged there had been much abuse during the conquest and said such conduct, judged by present-day values, was not something to feel proud of.
Sheinbaum welcomed his remarks and travelled to Spain in April to join a gathering of progressive leaders in defence of democracy.
The King had flown to Mexico at Sheinbaum’s invitation to attend Spain’s World Cup match against Uruguay in Guadalajara, the final game of the group stage, on June 26.
