The Spanish Royal Palace announced Thursday that King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will visit the cities of Ceuta and Melilla on October 13th and 14th. This marks the first visit by a Spanish monarch to the two cities since King Juan Carlos’s visit in 2007, which previously triggered a diplomatic crisis with Morocco. The upcoming visit brings the issue of the occupied Moroccan enclaves back into focus. Morocco continues to assert its claims to sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla. This royal tour is expected to further strain relations between Spain and Morocco, given the unresolved territorial dispute. The visit signifies Spain’s stance on the cities despite ongoing Moroccan demands. The news was first reported by Hespress, a Moroccan online newspaper.