Her Majesty Queen Sofía chaired the annual meeting of the Board of Directors of the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute based in New York, founded with the purpose of stimulating interest in the culture, history and customs of the Spanish-speaking world in the United States, and vice versa.

H.M. Queen Sofía chaired the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, formerly known as “Spanish Institute”, which changed its name in 2003 when Her Majesty Queen Sofía accepted the unanimous decision of the Board of Directors to rename the organization in her honor. Since then, she has frequently been the Institute’s guest of honor at its events.

Her Majesty Queen Sofía was received upon her arrival at the Ramón Areces Foundation by the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, Pilar Lladó, and by the director of the Ramón Areces Foundation, Raimundo Pérez-Hernández. Next, Doña Sofía greeted the members of the Board of Directors of the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute and members of the Cultural Committee.

After entering the building, Her Majesty Queen Sofía went to the library where a meeting began in which members of the Board of Directors presented on the recent and upcoming activities of the Institute. Those presenting included Chair of the Board of Directors, Pilar Lladó; the Executive Director & COO of the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, M. Begonia Santos; Treasurer, Joan Trant; Chair of the Sophia Award Committee, Dixie de Luca; and lastly, Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee, María Luisa Cánovas.

The Queen Sofía Spanish Institute is a private, non-profit corporation founded in 1954 with the purpose of stimulating the interest of Americans in the art, culture, customs, language, literature and history of the Spanish-speaking world. Promotes knowledge and understanding of the ideals, culture and customs of the Hispanic people of the United States, in order to form ties of friendship and strengthen the ties between both countries.

On Friday, May 24th, Her Majesty Queen Sofía also presided over the closing of the “America & Spain250” Symposium that commemorates the two hundred and fifty years of relations between Spain and the United States 1776-2026.

With the aim that Spain’s contribution to the independence of the United States is duly recognized in the official celebrations that will take place in the United States in 2026, the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, within its “America&Spain250” initiative, and the Ramón Areces Foundation presented the First Symposium on the 250 years of relations between Spain and the United States of America.

For two days, distinguished American and Spanish academics presented their views on the historical relations between both countries. Through conferences and round tables, academics analyzed aspects ranging from the shared history of both countries, the vision and image of each one in the other, emigration, cultural relations and the challenges of teaching history, art, culture and the Spanish language in US today.

To see all members of the Board of Directors of the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, click here.