Francis Crick Institute Welcomes the King and Queen of Spain

During a three-day visit to the UK in July, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, accompanied by the Duke of York, visited the Francis Crick Institute, where Director Sir Paul Nurse took them on a tour of some of the Crick's state-of-the-art biomedical facilities, including the Advanced Sequencing Lab and his own Cell Cycle Lab. They were joined by British Minister of State, Jo Johnson and Spanish Secretary of State of Investigation, Development and Innovation, Carmen Vela.

After the tour, Their Majesties met 35 of the Crick's Spanish staff, including Group Leader Patricia Barral alongside fellow scientists and service partners. At the reception in the Crick's Manby Gallery, they were joined by an additional 29 Spanish scientists from the Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK, giving them a chance to chat to a variety of Spanish nationals living and working in the UK.

After mingling over refreshments, Their Majesties signed the Crick's visitors' book before setting off for the University of Oxford, where they concluded their state visit.