They went to see the damage from Tuesday’s catastrophic floods. Instead, Spain’s King, Queen and Prime Minister had mud and abuse hurled at them in Paiporta – one of Valencia’s worst-hit suburbs.
The water may have abated, but the anger over the response to the crisis certainly hasn’t, despite King Felipe’s efforts to calm the crowd. 217 bodies have now been recovered, but many people are still missing.
Ria Chatterjee is in Spain.