LONDON — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and her husband led an extravagant ceremony Wednesday to welcome the king and queen of Spain, who began a state visit as tensions simmer between the two nations over the U.K.’s exit from the European Union.
The three-day visit by King Felipe VI and his wife, Queen Letizia, came as a dispute brews about what the EU departure means for the future of Gibraltar, a tiny, rocky territory at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula that Britain has controlled for three centuries against Spain’s wishes.
The two countries also are trying to resolve the status of thousands of expatriates facing uncertainty over their rights once the U.K. leaves the EU.
Yet there was no sign of discord as the Spanish royals arrived at Buckingham Palace, with Britain treating them to the full pomp and pageantry traditionally rolled out for visiting heads of state.