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Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has confirmed a ceremony will be held on July 16 to honour the victims and civil servants on the frontline. King Felipe VI will host the ceremony. Mr Sanchez told the Congress of Deputies the event would honour “the 27,000 compatriots who lost their lives”.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general are also set to attend.

Mr Borrell, a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, was formerly the Spanish Leader of the Opposition, as well as Public Works and Environment Minister and Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Minister.

His most recent Cabinet brief was in Mr Sanchez’s government.

Mr Sanchez did not specify where the ceremony would be held.

In May, Spain had 10 days of official mourning.

Flags flew at half-mast on public buildings and navy ships.

Legislators, Ministers and Felipe led a minute’s silence.

The first known royal to pass away from coronavirus was a Spanish royal.

Princess María Teresa of Bourbon-Parma was a member of the cadet branch of the Spanish royal family.

She was 86 when she died.

Known for being a socialist activist, she was nicknamed ‘The Red Princess’.

She was Felipe’s fourth cousin, once removed.

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Mr Sanchez was forced to apologise for his handling of the coronavirus crisis after protests called on him to resign.

According to the Telegraph, he said: “I wish to apologise to citizens for our own mistakes, compelled at all times by the urgency of the situation, the shortage of resources, and the exceptional and unprecedented nature of the crisis and its huge proportions.”

Leader of the Opposition Pablo Casado said: “You want us to choose between you and chaos, but it’s impossible because you are chaos.

“You are incapable of protecting Spaniards aside from this brutal confinement.”

Mr Casado’s party voted against the state of emergency that Mr Sanchez wished to declare.

King Felipe VI has been King since June 2014.

This was after the abdication of his father King Juan Carlos.

Felipe was a member of the Spanish sailing team at the 1992 Olympics.

His mother Sophia of Greece and Denmark, and uncle King Constantine II of Greece were members of the Greek sailing team in 1960, Greece won gold in the dragon but Sophia was a substitute.

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