English in Madrid

Image Source Agencia Brasil Diamond Jubilee: Spain's Queen Sofia cancels visit Queen Sofia of Spain has cancelled a visit to the UK to mark Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee because of disputes over the island of Gibraltar. A Spanish government statement said it was "hardly appropriate" for Queen Sofia, 73, to attend a lunch on Friday.  The UK and Spain have been in dispute over fishing rights off Gibraltar, a UK territory which Spain also claims.  Spain has also protested over a visit to Gibraltar by Queen Elizabeth's son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie.  The prince and the Countess of Wessex are to visit Gibraltar on 11-13 June as part of the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen's reign.  Complaint  Spain continues to claim sovereignty over Gibraltar, which has been ruled by Britain since 1713 under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht.  Queen Sofia's husband, King Juan Carlos, had already declined his invitation to the lunc...

Image source Spanish Crown Prince stirs Gibraltar controversy with Prince of Wales The Spanish heir to throne waded into the centuries old row over the disputed territory at the foot of the Iberian Peninsula at a gala dinner to welcome the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall on their first official visit together to Spain. "I express my hope that our authorities make progress towards a solution to our historic bilateral dispute which is yet to be resolved," said the 43-year-old Prince of Asturias in a speech at the Palacio Real in Madrid. Although he did not mention Gibraltar by name it was clear he was referring to the tiny peninsula on Spain's southwestern tip , which Madrid ceded to London under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Spain still claims sovereignty over the Rock, home to 28,000 Gibraltarians, who in a 2002 referendum overwhelmingly rejected a deal to shared sovereignty between the two nations and demanded to remain a part of Britain. The roy...

Source: Michal Mrozek en Unsplash British ambassador forced to apologise after Royal Navy ship 'used buoy painted colours of Spanish flag for target practice' The Royal Navy was accused yesterday of using a Spanish flag as a machine-gun target . Giles Paxman, the UK's new ambassador in Madrid, was forced to apologise after sailors fired at a red-and-yellow flag affixed to a buoy while patrolling off Gibraltar . He was summoned to the Spanish Foreign Ministry for a dressing down and officials said he had conceded there had been an 'error of judgement'. But the ambassador - who has been in post for just a month - denied that the crew of HMS Scimitar had been insulting Spain's flag. Instead, he told them the sailors had actually been firing at Nato's maritime flag for the number '1' which shares the same distinctive colours. Mr Paxman promised an investigation into the incident. But diplomatic sources said Madrid was taking revenge fo...