Prince Charles and Queen Letizia of Spain Meet at Auckland Castle

The future King of England, Prince Charles, and the current Queen of Spain, Queen Letizia, met each other at Auckland Castle in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

The two royals greeted each other warmly like old friends.

Their meeting was to attend the new Spanish art exhibition by Francisco de Zuberan, which was being held at the Spanish Gallery inside the venue.

Upon arrival, Charles clasped Letizia's hand cordially and kissed the back of her hand and both cheeks.

The queen looked elegant in a raspberry red dress covered with a black A-line coat, paired with matching red court heels and a quilted purse.

Charles, on the other hand, looked smart in a lightly grey suit with a burgundy tie and a matching pocket square, completing his tailored look with dark brown lace-up brogues.

The exhibition, Zuberan, The Twelve Tribes of Israel, Jacob and His Sons, was launched during the royal visit.

It is housed in the gallery at the castle, which forms part of a remarkable regeneration programme.

The venue has the biggest collection of Spanish art inherited from the Golden Age in the UK, making it a great place for the new exhibition.

Earlier in the day, Charles visited Darlington to officially open an auction mart.

He chatted with farmers and enjoyed tea and cakes at Dots Cafe in County Durham.

The prince was in high spirits and joked and laughed with the locals.

Auckland Castle is one of Europe's best-preserved bishops' palaces, which is at the centre of an ambitious project funded by a city philanthropist.

The Auckland project set out to bring tourism to Bishop Auckland by using art, faith and heritage.

It comprises a collection of galleries, gardens, parks and the spectacular Kiron Historical Reenactment Shows, which are staged during the summer.

The 900-year-old Auckland Castle was once home to the powerful Prince-Bishops of Durham.

It has recently reopened after undergoing major conservation work, which has transformed its state rooms back to their original Georgian Gothic splendour.

The castle is home to the 13 life-size figures painted by Francisco de Zurbarán, which were originally brought by Bishop Trevor in 1756 and have hung in the long dining room ever since.

In 2010, the paintings were in danger of being auctioned off by the Church of England Commission.

However, philanthropist Jonathan Ruffa acquired both the paintings and the castle in 2012, preserving them on behalf of the nation and putting the work on display to the public.

Queen Letizia was already in the UK as she was one of the many members of European royalty who attended the service of Thanksgiving in honour of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey last week.

She joined Queen Elizabeth and other family members, including Princess Anne and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in wearing an outfit entirely in the shade of Edinburgh green, in memory of the late Duke of Edinburgh.

That particular green was the colour of Prince Philip's official livery and was used for a wide array of things related to him, such as staff uniforms, private cars and even the Land Rover that was used to carry his coffin at his funeral last year.