Egypt’s president, first lady exchange highest honors with king, queen of Spain

CAIRO – 17 September 2025: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and King Felipe VI of Spain exchanged the highest state honors during a formal event at Al-Ittihadiya Presidential Palace, attended by First Lady Entissar El-Sisi and Queen Letizia of Spain.

President El-Sisi awarded King Felipe VI the Order of the Nile, Egypt’s highest state honor. He also presented Queen Letizia with the Order of the Virtues in its highest class.

In return, and in recognition of the longstanding historical relations between the two countries, King Felipe VI bestowed upon President Sisi the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, the order’s highest grade.

First Lady Entissar El-Sisi was also awarded the Order of Isabella the Catholic.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia started their first state visit to Egypt on Tuesday, accompanied by Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares.

According to the Spanish foreign ministry, their visit represents “a favourable opportunity to continue strengthening the deep historical, political, economic, cultural, scientific, cooperative and human ties” between Egypt and Spain.

The king and the queen will visit Spanish economic, cultural and scientific projects in both Cairo and Luxor, including archaeological sites, noted the ministry.

The Egypt-Spain Business Forum will also be held during their trip to enhance economic and trade relations between both countries.

Visiting Unknown Soldier Memorial

Before meeting the Egyptian president and first lady today, King Felipe and Queen Letizia took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Unknown Soldier Memorial in Nasr City district.

The pyramid-shaped monument was constructed during the era of late President Anwar Sadat in 1974 in honor of the Egyptian and Arab heroes who lost their lives during the 6th of October, 1973 War against Israel.

'Unspeakable Suffering' in Gaza

King Felipe leveraged his Cairo visit to strongly condemn the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, describing the suffering of its civilians under Israeli bombardment as “unspeakable.”

“The latest episode in this conflict... has degenerated into an unbearable humanitarian crisis, the unspeakable suffering of hundreds of thousands of innocent people and the total devastation of Gaza,” the monarch said on Tuesday, according to the AFP.

He underscored the gravity of the moment, noting that his visit comes “at a turbulent and tragic time for the region.”

Spain has taken a supportive stance toward the Palestinian people since the Israeli war in Gaza started in October 2023, killing nearly 65,000 people to day.

Spain has positioned itself among the most outspoken European critics of Israeli actions in Gaza, and in May 2024, the Spanish government formally recognized the State of Palestine.