The room had gone completely quiet. Emmanuel Macron was nearing the end of his speech at the Royal Palace of Madrid, glass in hand, moving easily between French and Spanish, when he delivered the line that would define the evening.
© Getty Images"This dinner is much more than a tribute to the art of living our countries share," said Macron. "I raise a glass to His Majesty the King, to Her Majesty the Queen, and to Their Royal Highnesses, the Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía."
It was a small gesture with a big payoff. Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, first and second in line to the Spanish throne, weren't in the room, but with the inclusion, Macron made the two sisters the stars of the night. The comment also scored him some points with the young women's parents, with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia unable to hide their proud smiles.
A glittering night at the Royal Palace
© Getty ImagesThe Spanish monarchs served as hosts this past Tuesday, welcoming Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron as guests of honor at a gala state dinner in the palace's storied salons. It was one of the marquee moments of the French couple's state visit to Spain.
The evening at the palace was built on symbolism and filled with small details and concluded with a heartfelt toast that showed the respect that exists between both nations and between Macron and the Royal Family.
Plenty of royal watchers had hoped to see Leonor and Sofia at such a high-profile occasion, but it was Macron who ensured that the women who represent the future of the Spanish Crown were present in the room
Why the sisters stayed away
© NurPhoto via Getty ImagesTheir absence had nothing to do with protocol and everything to do with schooling. Princess Leonor has just begun a demanding new chapter at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, where she just started her political science degree. It's a decisive next step in her preparation for the throne after years of military training.
Infanta Sofía, meanwhile, is living one of the most formative stretches of her young life. Since September, she's been based in Paris, where she's continuing her studies after a year in Lisbon.
A toast with a Parisian twist
© Corbis via Getty ImagesSofia's new living arrangement gave Macron's speech an extra layer of meaning.
Sofía now calls the French capital home, putting her closer than ever to the very couple being celebrated in Madrid. And the connection runs deeper than geography: Spain's reigning dynasty was born in France. The Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon traces back to Philip V, the French-born grandson of Louis XIV, who took the Spanish throne in 1700.
More than three centuries later, a Bourbon princess is studying in Paris, and the president of France is toasting her by name.
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