Spanish King Felipe VI and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel have met at the start of the first modern state visit to Cuba by a member of the royal family that once ruled the Caribbean island.
The king and Queen Letizia began their official activities Tuesday morning by offering a wreath at a monument to José Martí, a hero of Cuba's 19th century fight for independence from Spain.
After their meeting in Cuba's Palace of the Revolution, the king and president signed an agreement whose details were not immediately disclosed.
Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia walk in Old Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Jorge Luis BañosPool Photo via AP)
The queen and Cuban first lady Lis Cuesta then toured colonial Old Havana.
The trip has sparked criticism in Spain from right-wing politicians and conservative-leaning newspapers over a trip seen as a step forward for normal relations.
Spain's Foreign Minister Josep Borrell, left, and Cuba's foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla shake hands after signing an agreement while Spain's King Felipe VI, second left, and Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel look on, at Revolution Palace in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Ernesto MastrascusaPool photo via AP)
Spain's Queen Letizia, center, walks with Lis Cuesta Peraza, wife of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, after a review of an honor guard at Revolution Palace in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Yamil LagePool photo via AP)
Spain's Queen Letizia, right, and Lis Cuesta Peraza, wife of Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel, walk in Old Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (AP PhotoIsmael Francisco, Pool)
Spain's King Felipe VI, left, listens to Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel during a meeting at the Revolution Palace in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. Spain's kings are in Havana in an official visit. (Ernesto MastrascusaPool photo via AP)