The queen of Spain presented the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute’s gold medal to Spaniards Ferran Adria and Javier Bardem, as well as to Peruvian photographer Mario Testino, during the organization’s annual gala in New York at which former U.S. President Bill Clinton was present as a speaker and invited guest.

The president of the institute, Dominican designer Oscar de la Renta, received from Queen Sofia the Great Order of Civil Merit that King Juan Carlos had awarded to him in February.

Clinton, in his speech at the event, emphasized the “great friendship” between himself and the Spanish royal couple, and he recalled his first official visit to the Iberian nation in July 1997 and emphasized that “Spain is making a difference” with its efforts to “preserve the Spanish culture and language in a positive way.”