On Thursday and Friday, there were a string of terror attacks in Spain, killing over a dozen people and injuring over 100. The Guardian has a good timeline of events here and here, if you’re interested. In what is sadly feeling more and more like routine as the world suffers more and more attacks this year, various royals sent out messages of condolence to King Felipe of Spain.
Queen Elizabeth II wrote:
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“Prince Philip and I send our sincere condolences to Your Majesty, and the people of Spain, following the terrible terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils which killed and seriously injured many. It is deeply upsetting when innocent people are put at risk in this way when going about their daily lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and the people who are recovering in hospital. Please convey our heartfelt sympathies to all who have been affected by these appalling incidents.”
King Carl XVI Gustaf wrote:
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“The Queen and I wish to convey our sincere condolences on the tragic loss of life following the terrible terrorist attack in Barcelona yesterday. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims and to the people of the Kingdom of Spain.”
Queen Margrethe wrote:
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“It was with profound sadness that I received the news of the horrific attacks yesterday. On behalf of my family and the Danish people, please accept my heartfelt condolences. Our thoughts and sympathy are with you and with the Spanish people. My deepest sympathy goes to the victims and their families.”
King Harald wrote:
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“I was deeply saddened by the tragic news of the terror attack in Barcelona, resulting in the loss of so many lives and inflicting such dreadful injuries. I extend my condolences and ask you to convey the deepest sympathy of the Norwegian people to the bereaved families and to those who are injured.”
Grand Duke Henri wrote (originally in French, translated via Google Translate):
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“It was with astonishment that the Grand Duchess and I learned the news of the various murderous attacks in Spain yesterday, notably on the Boulevard des Ramblas in Barcelona. We are committed to expressing our deepest compassion and solidarity on behalf of all our compatriots and on our behalf. In this time of mourning, I ask you to interpret our deep emotion with the victims, their families and the entire Spanish people. Rest assured of our unconditional solidarity in defending our common values in the face of indiscriminate violence.”
The Netherlands royal court official Facebook page posted this message from King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima (originally in Dutch, translated via Google Translate):
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“We live with those affected by the Barcelona attack and feel connected with all of Spain and beyond who are facing terror and committed themselves to a society without fear.”
The Belgian royal court Facebook page posted this message from King Philippe:
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“We extended our deepest sympathy to H.M. King Felipe of Spain following the cruel and barbaric attack in Barcelona. Our thoughts are with all the victims and their families. We wish them and the Spanish authorities strength and resilience!”
On Friday, Felipe joined dignitaries and residents of Barcelona in Placa de Catalunya to observe a one minute’s silence for the victims of the August 17 terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain.
Words fail me, to think someone woke up and thought it was a good idea? I just can’t my head around the fact that people can commit acts of terror.
Pray for Barcelona
I honestly don’t understand having that much hate for other people. Especially people you don’t even know. It just boggles my mind.
+1
There is a lot of hate out there sadly. What happened in Charlottesville was also a terror attack and a home grown one.
I’ve just seen KP and QL in the news visiting the injured in hospital. They are such a class act. The empathy and warmth they show, and in QL’s case getting up close to patients in their beds KP and his quiet, understated but regal approach exuding calm and silent support.
Quite different to our Queen but I imagine every bit as heartfelt in their differing ways and it will mean so much to their people as it did to us when HMTQ went to Manchester.
Nowhere feels safe at the moment.
Nowhere feels safe, so true. Two people died and eight got injured yesterday in Turku, Finland in a vicious knife attack done by what seems to be a terrorist.
A feeling of disbelief that this can happen in our small Finland but at the same time I think almost everyone of us just waited for this to happen.
I am really sorry for all the victims.
And I want to thank the police in Turku, they were really outstanding and caught the stabber in just a few minutes.
My thoughts go to Spain too, so sad.
As a fellow Finn I share those feelings of sadness and disbelief. I refuse to be intimidated and I try to keep in mind what CP Victoria said after a terrorist attack in Stockholm: we get through this together. Love trumps hate.
And the Finnish police: you guys rock <3
Sadness permeates the hearts of caring people everywhere. Peace and comfort to the people of Spain and Finland. I think the way the King and his lovely Queen Leti rsponded to the wounded was compassionate and so very strong. It hurts to see these attacks happenng over and over again.
Very well put Mrs BBV, you put it perfectly.
The warmth and compassion the King and Queen showed speaks volumes. Yes very much a class act. Seeing the look in there eyes there is no pretence here. They are both a credit to there nation.
Heart felt sympathies from Australia for the senseless life lost, and much good wishes and speedy recovery to the injured. We may be many miles away but we are thinking of you. Gods speed with you xxxx
It is sickening the destruction and life lost for what? It is just shameful and disgraceful behaviour, such evil, it is just beyond me.
KMR thank you very much for this page, I think it was very important to get this out and shown. You do an amazing report each and every time.
+1
+1.
So terrible this is becoming an everyday occurrence. I do not understand why terrorists keep doing this. Prayers and thoughts to the victim’s families and Spain.
I’m really surprised some of these major tourist pedestrian areas don’t have barriers to prevent this. At the National Mall in DC they have them and can be removed when necessary. Copycats will continue to happen so it’s time to stay vigilant.
Nice to see the Queen and King bringing smiles to victims.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who are suffering due to the actions, words and deeds of others. My prayers also go out to the people of Sierra Leone, who suffered a devastating landslide killing up to 400 with another 600 missing.
As a resident of Manchester with one niece who narrowly escaped being injured at the concert, and another niece who nursed victims, I wish our royal family had responded so quickly. Yes the queen eventually showed up but I think the younger royals or at least charles and Camilla should have gone to manchester as soon after the atrocity.
Also nice to see how tactile Queen Letitia was, again our Queen does not really do warmth which I think is sometimes a requirement when consoling people. One reason why Diana was so loved by many.
It’s all due respect HMTQ visited three days after the Manchester attack as did the Spanish King & Queen.
The Spanish royals visited on Saturday 2 days after the event on Thursday, the queen visited on Thursday three days after the bombing on Monday night. I don’t want to be seen to be splitting hairs on this but on the whole, I feel the queen should have taken younger royals with her as the victims were mostly young people, and her hands off, platitude driven approach to me was sadly lacking when compared to Leticia.
I think the British royal family are increasingly underwhelming their subjects and this was a huge, missed opportunity. Also I’ve never forgotten how diana was not allowed to go to Warrington to comfort the families of the children killed in the bombing there but prince philip went, again the BRF seriously out of touch.
Your post sound as if you are criticising HMTQ for being less like Diana. She isn’t like Diana she belongs to a different generation with differing approaches to showing emotion but doesn’t mean she cares any less. She’s not built to show her compassion like QL but the letters that found there way into the press show last week show her emotions are very real just not displayed for public consumption.
I’m not sure taking the younger generation with her works…..it certainly didn’t at Grenfell. If anything having William with her proved a hindrance. No one would have heckled HMTQ and despite William’s promise that they would be back it looks like PR fluff from him. HMTQ would never have put herself in that position.
With regards to timeline the difference is literally hours not even 24 hours. The main crucial difference is the terror cell in Barcelona has been broken apart…..that was most certainly not the case in Manchester and still the Anti Terrorist Squad are not sure whether they were dealing with a lone attacker or a cell. There is no way HMTQ was going to be visiting a city with a live terror cell on the loose. Not to protect her but the diversion of resources away from where they were needed most would be appalling.
As I said in my original post I am full of admiration for dignified stoicism of KP and QL’s compassion is very reminiscent of Diana but I am also exceptionally proud of HMTQ going to Manchester within 3 days in her finest togs, looking like the Queen people expect and being there to recognise the hurt, suffering and heroism whilst keeping her stiff upper lip no matter what distress she felt inside. If I had seen HMTQ sitting on patient beds, signing plaster casts with smiley faces, hugging and kissing babies I would think she’d lost the plot. We look to her for backbone and resolve.
I said at the time on this site if she wasn’t there within 72 hours I would be writing to BP to ask why not and she didn’t let us down. She just does it differently.
Re. Warrington…..maybe Diana would have been the better choice. She certainly would have been the media’s choice. But given the DoE had experienced first hand family loss at the hands of the IRA I think the RF tried to do the right thing by having him go to Warrington. Diana still made contact with the Parry & Ball families, helped them with their grief and I believe stayed in touch with the Parry’s when the media had moved on to the next tragedy.
We will have to agree to differ. The Queen is from another generation but the world has moved on, if the royal family do not change their MO to move on with it then they become an out of date anachronism. The Queen to my mind was uncomfortable and stilted dealing with the people in Manchester, younger royals would have been better imo. William.at least hugged a distressed woman offering her physical comfort. That is what people in distress want, palpable comfort not platitudes and awkward questions.
I’d feel weirded out of the Queen hugged me. It is not in her nature nor her generations’ nature; not even my grandmother, who I am close to and who is Philip’s age, is very huggy. But you know she cares. You could tell in her expression HM cared and sometimes that speaks more than empty physical gestures IMO.
My guess is anyone that received a visit from HMTQ after Manchester felt honored and thankful.