The King of Spain faces the threat of a walkout by Conservative MPs if he lays claim to Gibraltar in a speech in Parliament during his UK state visit.

King Felipe is due to address MPs and peers in Parliament's Royal Gallery at a time when the future of the Rock is a major issue in Brexit negotiations.

Privately, many diplomats fear it is increasingly likely the trip could be overshadowed by a bitter row over the British territory - and Foreign Office insiders are expecting the King to raise the issue in his remarks.

With the visit already threatening to cause a fierce political row, the pro-Gibraltar Tory MP Andrew Rosindell has predicted "serious anger" if the King attempts to "re-open the non-negotiable issue of Gibraltar's sovereignty".

Last week, he said: "The people of Gibraltar are rightly nervous. They break the rules while we, in turn, welcome the King and Queen of Spain for a state visit. What kind of message is that for the people of Gibraltar?


"The people of Gibraltar are very unnerved, and rightly so. The Government needs to be much more robust."

Integrity of Gibraltar waters tested by Spain

Mr Rosindell warned King Felipe "should not be surprised" if remarks about Gibraltar result in MPs leaving the Royal Gallery.

Britain's Ambassador to Madrid, Simon Manley, has said it would not be unusual for King Felipe to bring up Gibraltar when he makes his speech at Westminster.

Last year, in a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York, the King called for a negotiated handover of Gibraltar.

"I invite the UK, on this first occasion at the UN after Brexit, to end the colonial anachronism of Gibraltar with an agreed solution between both countries to restore the territorial integrity of Spain," he said.

European Council President Donald Tusk triggered a row earlier this year when he proposed a veto for Spain over Gibraltar's status in a future trade deal.

April: Howard compares Gibraltar to Falklands

That prompted the former Tory leader Michael Howard to call on Theresa May to go to war to defend Gibraltar in the way Margaret Thatcher protected the Falklands in 1982.

The royal visit has been postponed twice - firstly because of political deadlock in Spain last year and again when the re-scheduled date clashed with the UK's General Election last month.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia's three-day programme will include lunch at Buckingham Palace, afternoon tea at Clarence House with Prince Charles and Camilla and a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

It is believed Theresa May will attempt to avoid a row over Gibraltar when she entertains the royal couple over lunch.

Ahead of this visit, Downing Street and Foreign Office officials said they were hoping King Felipe's visit would celebrate the "royal, historical, cultural and commercial links between both countries".

On the eve of King Felipe's state visit, Sky News witnessed a Spanish ship make an illegal incursion into British waters off the coast of Gibraltar - with local customs officials describing it as a "daily occurrence".