Queen Letizia dotes on toddler during visit to Colombia

Queen Letizia's strong maternal instincts were on display yesterday as she doted over children living in Cartagena, Colombia.

The Spanish queen, 50, was dressed in a similar functional outfit as she donned to arrive in the South American nation, including a white shirt, beige cargo pants and sensible walking boots.

Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail as she got to work meeting parents and children in a community in Cartagena on the country's Pacific coast.

While meeting the members of the community, Letizia was pictured listening intently - and the mother-of-two couldn't help but make a fuss of one of the toddlers.

She lightly took his tiny foot in her hands as he was being carried by his mother, while he looked back at her from behind a mass of stunning curly hair.

Queen Letizia of Spain couldn't help but make a fuss of a toddler with a mass of adorable curls as she visited a community in Cartagena, Colombia, yesterday

Elsewhere she was pictured chatting to school children during a visit to Escuela  Taller de Cartagena.

Letizia's visit marked the first full day of her trip to Colombia, where she was greeted by the country's First Lady, Veronica Alcocer, upon arrival.

As she chatted to Mrs Alcocer, Letizia wore the AECID jacket which featured the Spanish and European Union Flags. 

Today she was joined by the First Lady once again, who was dressed in a dark grey jumpsuit as she walked under the baking heat. 

The visit will see the Queen monitoring the work done in Colombia by Spain's international development agency, AECID.

The Spanish Queen looked ready to get to work as she donned a white shirt, beige cargo pants and the AECID red gilet

As she visited the community in Cartagena, the Queen couldn't help but make a fuss of the toddler, who was dressed in green dinosaur shorts

As Letizia arrived at the community in Cartagena on Colombia's Pacific Coast, she chatted to mothers and their children

The mother-of-two looked cool in the heat as she wore her brunette locks in a high ponytail and donned the AECID gilet

The Queen partnered up with Colombia's First Lady Veronica Alcocer, who greeted her upon her arrival in the South American nation

The Queen looked cool and collected in the heat as she walked through the community in Cartagena

The Queen looked deep in conversation as she chatted to members of the community during her visit

During her visit, some of the school pupils treated the Queen of Spain to a performance while she watched on with the First Lady

The Queen visited pupils at Escuela Taller Cartagena de Indias and chatted to them about their lives

Towards the end of her visit, the Queen posed for photos with the school pupils and staff members 

The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation's recent work in Colombia has included initiatives to develop renewable energy, with the combined aims of reducing the nation's carbon footprint and increasing competition in the agricultural sector.

During her visit, Letizia will be learning more about how such projects are progressing.

The Queen's last public appearance was in her home country of Spain, when she attended a Santander event.

Dressed in a highly stylish blue wrap dress that she had worn before, the queen's enviable trim figure was on full display.

The high neck, midi length dress features a 'D-ring' buckle and is pulled straight out of high end Spanish brand Adolfo Domínguez's look book.

The queen attended the 15th edition of the Euros en tu nomina - meaning 'Euros from your Salary' programme which is an initiative put on by Santander to promote projects that improve society.

The winning social projects will receive a contribution to be able to develop their projects.