During the third stage of His memorial journey in the footsteps of Prince Albert I in Portugal and Spain, H.S.H. Prince Albert II was welcomed in Madrid, on Saturday October 15th, by the Superior Council for Scientific Research. A presentation on Spanish oceanography at the time of Prince Albert I was given to Prince Albert. He then attended the screening of a film, in progress, on the scientist Odón de Buen, Spanish correspondent and friend of His great-great-grandfather. A commemorative plaque for the Spanish Institute of Oceanography was also unveiled on this occasion.
This ceremony recalled the close link established by Prince Albert I with Spain, from his formative years in the Spanish Royal Navy between 1866 and 1868, to the creation of the Scientific Commission for the Exploration of the Mediterranean in 1919, during the Madrid Conference.
H.S.H. Prince Albert was then received by H.M. King Felipe VI at the Zarzuela Palace for a private lunch.
The following day, Sunday October 16th, H.S.H. the Prince travelled to Puente Viesgo, at the invitation of Miguel Ángel Revilla, President of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria, to visit the cave of El Castillo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its future museum, currently under construction. A commemorative plaque was revealed during the visit. This plaque recalls the interest and active patronage of Prince Albert I in favor of prehistoric research, as he supported the work on cave art of Henri Breuil and Hugo Obermaier, especially in the nearby cave of Altamira.
