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King and Queen of Spain to attend 450th celebration of St. Augustine

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The king and queen of Spain are coming to St. Augustine for the 450th commemoration.

Ambassador of Spain Ramon Gil-Casares and consulate general Maria Cristina Barrios-Almazor visited with Mayor Nancy Shaver Wednesday to go over the details of the royal visit.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain are scheduled to visit in Sept. 18, 19, and 20 which is when St. Augustine is hosting the annual U.S. – Spain Council. This will be the first ever visit for the royals to the United States as heads of state.

St. Augustine City Hall was decked out in Spanish colors Wednesday, with a huge Spanish flag draped at the entrance.

The ambassador and the consulate general also met with the 450th commemoration staff. The ambassador said this celebration is extremely important to the king and queen.

"We've been celebrating our common past for some years now because as you know Ponce de Leon arrived in the shores of Florida 500 years ago in 2013. This is the second biggest celebration that we are having -- 450 years of the longest-standing city in the United States,” Gil-Caseres said.

Talks between St. Augustine and Spain have been going on for at least a year.

Last September the city manager along with the director of the 450th traveled to Spain where they met King Felipe and formally invited him to the 450th.

The king and queen of Spain are scheduled to meet with President Obama at the White House before heading to St. Augustine for the U.S. - Spain Council.

WJAX

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