"Excellencies, My Lords, Members of the House of Commons, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,
It is a profound pleasure to welcome you today as we celebrate Spain's National Day.
I would like to express my gratitude to the generous sponsors who made this celebration possible. Our deepest thanks go to our partners, Navantia and Indra, and to those who have brought the very best of Spanish gastronomy to London today: Hispania, Brindisa, La Maritxu, the Asociación Interprofesional del Cerdo Ibérico, La despensa de Huelva, CD Wines, Bodegas Villarta, Codorniu, and Mahou. Thank you for your vital support.
To capture the true spirit of the British-Spanish friendship, I want to flip the lens today and try to look at Spain through British eyes.
To do that, I propose you imagine an ordinary day for a protagonist we will call James. James wakes up in London, takes the tube to go to work, has lunch, perhaps meets friends at the pub after work and goes back home. A very British day… Or so he thinks, because James will actually encounter traces of Spain at almost every hour of his day.
So let's start… James gets up in the morning and switches on the light. And.. there is Spain. Iberdrola, through ScottishPower, is one of the largest investors in Britain's grid and channels billions into the UK's green transition.
He then opens his wardrobe and he finds Zara, Massimo Dutti and Mango among his cloths.
He heads to the station and taps his phone, unaware that Indra operates London's Oyster card infrastructure. He boards a train built by CAF, one of Spain's premium rolling stock manufacturers. At the office, he is probably surrounded by Spanish global giants like Ferrovial, ACS, Sacyr, Acciona or Santander, just to name a few.
Need to text a friend to arrange a drink later tonight? His O2 phone is powered by Telefónica.
The fact that James doesn't think of any this as "foreign" is the ultimate compliment to a mature alliance woven into daily life.
At lunch, our friend visits a tapas bar, he pays with his Santander credit card, he enjoys a plate of jamón matched with a glass of Rioja or a Mahou beer—finally recognizing Spain. (Perhaps this is not so British.. I admit)
But our modern ties stretch far beyond gastronomy into areas James might least expect: such as our shared security.
We are steadfast NATO allies. Our value chains are deeply interconnected and our defense industries deeply intertwined. The Eurofighter Typhoon jet flying overhead, for instance, has its wings engineered in Getafe, close to Madrid, by Airbus.
And this is a perfect metaphor for our alliance: different European nations, pooling state-of-the-art technology and innovation to build something greater than any of us could achieve alone.
Navantia is a very good example as well. It is actively collaborating with British partners on the Fleet Solid Support programme, creating jobs and strengthening maritime security for both our nations. Spain is a reliable, high-tech industrial partner shaping European security.
Evening arrives. At the pub, James shows some pictures of his summer holiday in Barcelona. Discussion turns to football, where our passion is mutual. Spanish managers and players have fundamentally reshaped the Premier League. And if James supports England, which is very likely, I would advise him not to ask his Spanish friends about recent tournament results—it may still be a little bit of a sensitive subject for him!
Yet, our most vital connection is measured by people: the engineers, scientists, doctors and tech entrepreneurs. But also artists who grace your stages, like Aitor Arrieta, from the Basque Country, at the English National Ballet, or soprano Lisette Oropesa, a Spaniard of Cuban-American origin, singing at the Royal Opera House. Spain is on the stage, the museum walls, and across the meeting table.
In the UK, he is James, but in Spain, he could be María, who is using British services in her ordinary life. She charges her car at a BP station, wires money through Revolut, uses Vodafone to speak with her friends, or, if she is sick, takes her pills made by AstraZeneca. The UK is Spain's fourth largest investor and the second largest destination for Spanish investments, creating thousands of jobs in each other's countries.
Permítanme ahora dirigirme brevemente a mis compatriotas. Los españoles que vivís, trabajáis y estudiáis en el Reino Unido sois el verdadero motor de esta relación. Vuestro talento, esfuerzo y generosidad os convierten en nuestros mejores embajadores. Gracias por hacer que la marca España brille cada día en este país.
Ladies and gentlemen, our relationship is therefore no longer just a diplomatic dialogue between governments. It is a living, breathing network of families, businesses, and friends.
Politically, we are closer than ever thanks to our bilateral Strategic Framework and our desire to see the UK and the European Union working hand-in-hand in the most ambitious manner.
In an unpredictable world, European unity and British-European synergy are not just desirable—they are indispensable to our collective security, prosperity, and democratic resilience. As the recent pragmatism surrounding Gibraltar has shown, when we act as true European partners, we always find the way.
Our connection is deeper than the commercial exchanges that I have just described in James' or María's day. What truly anchors the United Kingdom and Spain together is a shared moral compass. We are two great nations united by an unshakeable commitment to the values that define our modern societies: a profound belief in democracy, an unwavering defense of liberty and freedom, a deep reverence for human dignity, and a tireless pursuit of social justice. In a complex and volatile world, these shared principles mean we do not just trade together—we stand together.
Finally, as I look out at this room, I am struck by the symbolic meaning of this celebration. For the very first time in the very long history of the Spanish Embassy in London, it is a woman who has the profound honor of standing before you as Ambassador.
This milestone is not just a personal privilege. It is a reflection of how both Spain and the United Kingdom have transformed—embracing modernity, equality, and forward-looking leadership.
Therefore, I can assure you that we will continue striving for James' next ordinary day, for our unbreakable alliance, and for the enduring friendship between Spain and the United Kingdom.
¡Viva España! ¡Viva el Reino Unido! Thank you very much."
-Her Excellency Ms Emma Aparici Vázquez de Parga, Spanish Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.