A Spanish government minister has questioned whether the timing of the King and Queen of Spain’s visit to a flood hit part of the country was right.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia went to Paiporta in Valencia on November 3rd 2024 to meet some of those affected by the extreme weather which led to horrific torrents that have claimed over 200 lives across the country.

However, along with other officials, they found themselves pelted with mud and sprayed with water when they headed to Paiporta, one of the worst hit areas of Spain.

Now Oscar Puente, Minister for Transportation, has told La Sexta that ”perhaps it wasn’t the most opportune moment” to visit. And he said that the idea for the trip had come from Felipe VI himself who was keen to reach out to those affected by the floods.

As King Felipe and Queen Letizia began to meet people in Paiporta, where streets are strewn with debris after floods swept through following torrential rain and hurricane like winds, angry locals threw mud at them. Some people shouted ‘murderers’ as Felipe VI passed.

The Spanish king refused to walk away and insisted that his security team take down the umbrella they had put up to try and shield him. He had arrived in the area with Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, who retreated as the shouting and mud slinging began and who later left the area.

Queen Letizia also stayed and was visibly upset as she spoke to some residents. One woman told her ”you aren’t lacking anything, you don’t want for anything” as the queen held her mud spattered face in her hands.

As the queen appeared to cry, another man told her ”this isn’t because of you, madam, it’s not because of you.”

There has been praise for King Felipe and Queen Letizia for continuing with their visit despite the hostility. However, others have questioned the wisdom of visiting when the focus remains on rescuing those still missing and when so many people are still without basic provisions, including clean running water.

Within hours of the extreme weather, known as a DANA in Spanish, that brought a month’s rain in just eight hours, King Felipe had spoken movingly of his concerns for those impacted and had said the priority was to allow emergency services to do their job unimpeded and to ensure that authorities have everything they need to help those impacted.

However, in the days that have followed, there has been sharp criticism of the central response to the disaster and calls for a higher level of assisstance.

The attacks in Paiporta haven’t put off King Felipe. The following day, he attended meetings about co-ordinating rescue efforts and it appears plans may be under way for a fresh visit, although no details have been revealed.