Queen Sofía of Spain is in good spirits at Madrid awards ceremony – a day after losing her footing at military event

Queen Sofía of Spain was in good spirits today as she attended an awards ceremony in Madrid – less than 24 hours after she appeared to lose her balance at a military event in the Spanish capital.

The 85-year-old royal, who was Queen of Spain as the wife of King Juan Carlos I until he abdicated on June 19, 2014, smiled as she applauded the recipients of the as the Fundación MAPFRE Social Outreach Awards at the Casino de Madrid.

Dressed in a khaki and white embellished blazer and a pair of tapered brown trousers, Sofía looked typically stylish at Tuesday’s engagement.

The mother of King Felipe VI wore a blue satin shirt underneath her blazer and completed her outfit with brown leather pumps.

She accessorised her elegant ensemble with silver hoop earrings and several bracelets and necklaces.

Sofía wore her light brown hair in a blow-dry and kept her make-up simple for the occasion.

The Fundación MAPFRE Social Outreach Awards, which are worth a total of 160,000 euros, recognise the individuals behind some of the world’s most impactful social and community projects, both in Spain and abroad.

Today’s public outing contrasted with Sofía’s appearance yesterday when she appeared unsteady on her feet at a military event in Madrid.

At an event to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the creation of the Military Emergency Unit, Sofía was climbing a step in high heels when she faltered and put her arms out in an attempt to steady herself.

She was quickly assisted by an aide and was able to regain her composure.

The royal, who has previously attended royal engagements in a wheelchair, was in Torrejón de Ardoz in the Spanish capital.

The Military Emergency Unit is part of the Spanish armed forces and is responsible for providing disaster relief throughout the country and also abroad when necessary.

Sofía, who was rushed to hospital in April for a urinary tract infection, was helped by an aid who held out his arms to break a potential fall.

Apart from this episode, the former Queen – who reigned for almost four decades alongside her husband from November 1975 – was composed as she received the military salute at the Torrejón Air Base.

Smiling as she posed next to a plaque commemorating the anniversary of the Military Emergency Unit, which was established on October 7, 2005, she appeared in good spirits.

The royal, who will turn 86 at the beginning of November, looked elegant in a formal black trouser suit adorned with a gold and blue brooch.

She paired the collarless jacket, which was embroidered with a crisscross pattern and embellished with a beaded trim, with matching wide-leg trousers.

Sofía’s accessories included black, round-toe heels, a miniature black handbag and a number of gold and jewelled bracelets.

She wore her light brown hair in a blow-dry and kept her make-up simple for the occasion.

Sofía, who generally enjoys good health, stays active by using a walking machine in her room in the Zarzuela Palace on a daily basis.

When she was hospitalised on April 11 with a urinary tract infection, it was her first hospital stay since she gave birth to King Felipe in 1968.

Born Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark on November 2, 1938, at Tatoi Palace in Athens, Greece, she is the eldest daughter of King Paul of Greece and Frederica of Hanover.

A member of the Greek branch of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg dynasty, her great-great-grandmother was Queen Victoria.

As such, she was both a relative and a friend of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Because Sofía’s family were forced into exile during the Second World War, she spent part of her childhood in Egypt and South Africa.

She finished her education at the prestigious Schloss Salem boarding school in Southern Germany, and then studied childcare, music and archaeology in Athens.

Sofía also studied at Fitzwilliam College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.

A keen yachtswoman, the royal represented her home country of Greece as a reserve member of the Gold Medal-winning sailing team at the 1960 Summer Olympics alongside her brother Constantine (heir to the now deposed Greek monarchy).

Sofía met Infante Juan Carlos, her paternal third cousin, in 1954 while on a cruise in the Greek Islands and again at the Duke of Kent’s wedding in 1961.