Steady on, Prince charming: Charles gets carried away with Princess Letizia at state visit

By Daily Mail Reporter

Hey may be on duty, but Prince Charles appears to be enjoying his State visit to Spain - more specifically his meetings with Princess Letizia.
The heir to the British throne, 62, seemed enamoured with the young royal and was intent on showing it - despite wife Camilla standing beside him.
Taking her hand to kiss it on several occasions, Charles even appeared to be blushing as he displayed his affection for her at the dinner held in his honour.

Sealed with a kiss: Prince Charles can't hide his affection for Princess Letizia at a Spanish state dinner

Wife swap: The Prince of Asturias greets Camilla while Charles fawns over Letizia on day one of the visit

The Duchess of Cornwall wore a new sapphire blue Bruce Oldfield silk gown and diamond earrings and necklace from her private collection to accompany the Prince of Wales to the event hosted by Felipe, Prince of Asturias, and his wife.
The future Spanish queen, 37, looked stunning in a striking red Felipe Varela gown and diamond earrings and bracelet.
Felipe, 43, and former television presenter Letizia greeted Charles and Camilla in the palace's Salon de Temiers.
The Prince of Asturias kissed Camilla on the cheeks and shook hands with Charles.
The menu for Wednesday night's dinner was artichoke and leek with Spanish ham for the starter, followed by hake for the main course and, to finish, hojaldre - a fruit, cream and pastry dessert based on the French mille-feuilles.

Smitten: Earlier in the day, Charles makes the same move while Camilla looks on

Cat that got the cream: Charles looks extremely pleased to be in the Princess's company

VIP guests hailed from the Spanish social, political, business and cultural scenes.
They included the Duchess of Alba, one the country's best-known aristocrats, and Antonio Vazquez, group chairman of International Airlines Group, formed by the recent merger of BA and Iberia.
In his speech, Felipe referred to - but did not mention by name - the issue of Gibraltar.

Battle of the gowns: Camilla wore a blue Bruce Oldfield dress, Letizia's red creation was by Felipe Varela

After thanking Charles and Camilla for visiting his country, the Prince of Asturias said: 'I also express my wish that our authorities make progress towards a solution to our historic bilateral controversy, which is still pending.'
The Prince of Wales made no mention of the British territory in his speech, which reflected on the nature of Anglo-Spanish ties. He said: 'I know that the relationship that exists between the UK and Spain is one of the oldest, deepest and - how can I put it - most intense that exists between any two nations.
'We have at times been bounded by trade, by politics, by Treaty and by marriage, and, at other times, we have been divided by war, by religion and by economic rivalry.

Friendly: The two women looked engrossed in conversation

'But I think I can say without fear of contradiction that throughout the centuries, one thing we have never lacked is mutual respect and admiration, irrespective of the side of the argument on which we have found ourselves.'
Today he met with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for talks centering on the environment and sustainable development.
The prince was later given the symbolic key to the city of Madrid when he met Mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardon.

Tour of duty: The British Royals, pictured today with King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, are to travel to Seville on Friday and then leave for Morocco, wrapping up a three-country trip that also took place in Portugal

Charles and Camilla then had lunch with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia at the Zarzuela royal residence.
The two are to travel to Seville on Friday and then leave for Morocco, wrapping up a three-country trip that also took place in Portugal.

The two families are old friends and share a common ancestor in Queen Victoria - Felipe is the current Queen's cousin.