The royal family is preparing once again for a summer move to Mallorca. As every year, Marivent is once again the chosen setting for their summer break, with a schedule that combines official commitments and private time. The island is already getting ready to welcome the royals, their daughters and possibly other family members.
Mallorca thus becomes a kind of discreet backdrop for the life of the Royal Household. Far from media noise and institutional tensions, Marivent is transformed every summer into their usual refuge. However, this year, a decision by King Felipe VI has put Doña Sofía in the spotlight.
Vacations with schedule and discretion
During their stay in Mallorca, the royals usually keep some official commitments. Meetings with Balearic authorities, audiences, and cultural visits are part of the calendar. On occasion, they have received international figures in this same setting.
Despite its vacation character, Marivent remains an institutional residence. In recent years, it has also become a setting to reinforce the Crown's approachable and family-oriented image. From spontaneous greetings to strolls around the port, everything is carefully measured.
The protocol is relaxed but constant. Accompanied by Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, the royals take the opportunity to combine family life and institutional duty. That mix has become a tradition of the royal summer.
A palace without a crown but with history
Marivent is not, officially, a royal palace. It was built in the 1920s and donated decades later to the State with the intention of becoming a museum. However, fate meant that it ended up in the hands of the royal family in the 1970s.
Since then, it has been kept as the summer residence of the Spanish monarchs. Although it doesn't have centuries of history like El Pardo or La Zarzuela, it has gained special symbolism. Every photograph from its gardens or every reception on its terraces reinforces its institutional role.
Its location, on a cliff facing the Mediterranean, enhances its appeal. Its name, "mar y viento" in Catalan, perfectly sums up its essence: a secluded, discreet place linked to the summer breeze.
A refuge within the refuge
Within the Marivent complex, Felipe VI and Letizia do not stay in the main building. They prefer Son Vent, an independent house within the grounds. It was ceded by the Air Force and has become their private refuge.
The house has living rooms, terraces, bedrooms, and a private pool. The family uses it every year, keeping their distance from the main palace where Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía used to reside. That separation has also been seen as a symbolic way to mark a new era.
The place offers privacy and allows the royals to keep their routine away from the cameras. Even so, at certain times, they appear at public or family activities to reinforce their approachable and committed image.
The rumor that puts Queen Sofía in the spotlight is confirmed
For weeks, there was speculation that this summer there could be changes in the royals' vacation destination. Some sources suggested that Felipe VI and Letizia were considering not returning to Marivent this year. It was even suggested that the palace could be given to the Balearic people as an open institutional space.
Finally, the king's team has confirmed the rumor: the royals will indeed be on the island this summer. This confirmation has put Queen Sofía in the spotlight, since Marivent was not the destination Letizia had planned. According to sources close to the family, it was an express wish of Doña Sofía, who still dreams of spending summers in Mallorca.
This gesture has been interpreted as a form of respect from the monarch toward his mother. Although Letizia has never shown particular interest in this destination, Felipe has wanted to keep the tradition. It is a family decision with symbolic weight, which puts Doña Sofía—once again—at the center of attention.