Prince Charles channels Prince Charming as he kisses Queen Letizia's hand during joint event

Prince Charles has given Queen Letizia of Spain a very warm welcome to during a joint engagement in northern England.

The Prince of Wales was photographed kissing Letizia's hand and cheek as they arrived at Bishop Auckland, a market town in County Durham.

Charles, 73, and Letizia, 49, were without their spouses Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and King Felipe, for the event.

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Queen Letizia travelled to England last week to attend a Service of Thanksgiving for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey with her husband.

But today she was flying solo with Prince Charles as they opened an art gallery dedicated to Spanish works.

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The Spanish Gallery is the first gallery in the UK dedicated to the art, history and culture of Spain and houses portraits by key artists such as El Greco, Zurbarán, Velázquez and Murillo.

Prince Charles and Queen Letizia also viewed the Francisco de Zurbarán art collection, Jacob and His Twelve Sons, at Auckland Castle.

The exhibit has been housed in Auckland Castle for more than 250 years. The work is based on the biblical story and the paintings were completed between 1641 and 1658 and accessible only to the guests of the Bishop of Durham in the castle's Long Dining Room.

The Zurbarán series was in danger of being sold off by the Church of England Commission, but philanthropic financier Jonathan Ruffer purchased the collection in 2012.

He also bought the castle, where the historic works will be displayed for the public.

During the visit, Queen Letizia and Prince Charles heard more about The Auckland Project, a charity which reopened the castle to the public in 2019 following a lengthy restoration and a key part of revitalising the town of Bishop Auckland.

Queen Letizia and King Felipe were among a number of royals from across Europe who attended the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial on March 29 at Westminster Abbey.

They included Prince Albert of Monaco, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium and King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway.

Philip's Greek relatives were there too including Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal.