It's cute. From articles and interviews I've seen around in Spanish about their relationship, Felipe became obsessed with the CNN presenter and is the one who set up the dinner date event to get to know her better. He's madly in love with her but the Spanish press in my old country gave her the same treatment as Kate Middletown was given in the UK press (Kate Middletown was nicknamed Kate Middleclass by the nasty tabloids). And arrogant people on TV and the press just referred to her as the 'granddaughter of a taxi driver'.
Royal gossip columnist, and nasty person overall, Penafiel blasted her from day one. When he was exposed as having an agenda against the Queen, he diverted to attack her approval of Letizia. If I recall the articles ages ago, Penafiel wanted the Queen to personally interfere with a family member like she was a social worker doing home visits! And blamed the Queen when this person, with no relation to royals, took her life. So, his vitriol against Sofia found a target on her approval of Letizia.
And you think the British and Danish press are harsh these days? The love story between Queen Letizia and King Felipe was an escandalo!