Why the King and Queen of Spain Were Pelted With Mud By Angry Citizens

"What do you expect? For us to tell him sweet nothings?"

Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain wearing mud-stained jackets in a crowd of people
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain have faced plenty of scandals when it comes to the Spanish royal family over the years, but unfortunately, their recent visit to visit flood victims took a messy turn when a crowd turned on the royal couple.

The country's Valencia region was hit by deadly floods last week, with the death toll climbing to 217 people as of Monday, Nov. 4, per the Associated Press. The Spanish royal couple traveled to the area on Nov. 3 to comfort people who had been impacted by the disaster, but growing frustration among the victims led Letizia and Felipe—along with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and other officials at the scene—to be pelted with mud and other objects.

According to the Daily Mail, the royals "remained calm and made several efforts to speak to individual residents" after the incident, but the local officials "fled" the scene after members of the crowd turned violent.

"What do you expect? For us to tell him sweet nothings?" a local man said of King Felipe, per the publication. The supermarket worker, who lost 12 coworkers in the flood, blamed the government for the disaster. "They wanted to kill us. The first thing you have to do is warn people when a dam is about to be overwhelmed and broken," he said.

Queen Letizia looking down in sadness wearing a jacket covered in mud as she speaks to a woman covered in tattoos

Queen Letizia cried as she spoke to a local flood victim in Paiporta, Spain.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

"The king and all came very clean and to look good in front of the town and cameras but this doesn't help us at all," another resident said. "He should come here and get rid of the mud and the dead that are in garages. And then he'll be one of us."

Letizia and Felipe appeared to be uninjured, although one of their royal protection officers was hit with an object in the face and was bleeding, per the Daily Mail.

Queen Letizia—who had dirt covering her face and jacket—appeared distraught over the devastation she witnessed, bursting into tears in a video shared by the BBC as she spoke with victims and gave one woman a long, tight hug.

King Felipe of Spain holding his hands up in a crowd of people

Citizens hurled mud at King Felipe as he attempted to speak with survivors of the floods.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

After a member of the crowd screamed insults at him, the Spanish king snapped back, replying, "If you want, I won't come and I'll stay in Madrid," referring to the royal palace. It certainly seemed to be a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't, as the royals would have faced extreme criticism if they hadn't visited the area hardest hit by the flooding.

That being said, the royals were scheduled to visit another Valencian town but opted not to attend after the incident, while residents "reportedly shouted 'cowards' at the absent monarchs," per the Daily Mail.

The Spanish king later shared his thoughts on the visit, telling officials (per the Guardian, via People), “One has to understand the anger and frustration of many people given all that they have gone through, as well as the difficulty in understanding how all the mechanisms work when it comes to the emergency operations."

Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.