As Michelle Obama met with Queen Letizia of Spain in Madrid to talk about education project Let Girls Learn, her daughters Malia, 17, and Sasha, 15, headed to the city center to enjoy some retail therapy. The pair were spotted on busy shopping street Gran Via to visit some well known – and affordable! – shops including teen fave H&M.

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Sasha, 15, and Malia, 17, enjoyed some retail therapy while Mom was working Photo: Getty Images

In photos captured by Madrid Diario, the girls are seen dressed in summer casual mode, Malia in a white shirtdress and sandals, and Sasha opting for a denim skirt and white top. The pair weren't alone though – they were accompanied by their large security detail, including two armored cars, which brought busy traffic to a standstill.

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Malia and Sasha visited not just H&M and but also local chains like Sfera, which are just starting their summer sales. Onlookers who happened to be in the area were visibly stunned by the surprise shoppers, and whipped out their cell phones to snap photos and videos for posterity.

A local new station posted this Vine of the girls seen out during their shopping trip Credit: A3Noticias

Sometime later, reports our sister site Hola.com, the teens met up with their mom to enjoy a traditional Spanish lunch at La Castela, a local restaurant in the Retiro neighborhood, near the city's world-famous park.

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The eaterie, which is known for their tapas and delicacies such as bull's tail, has had quite the starry client list lately – Harrison Ford and his wife Calista Flockhart dined there days earlier.


Meanwhile, mom Michelle met up with the country's Queen Letizia Photo: Getty Images

While Michelle and her daughters may have spent some time apart while in Madrid, the teenagers were a topic of conversation during the First Lady's meetings with Queen Letizia, who has two little girls, Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia, of her own.

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"Like me, Queen Letizia is the mother of two beautiful daughters, and we've had the opportunity to bond over many issues, including the joys and the challenges of raising strong, smart, outspoken girls," Michelle said during a speech at a local cultural center, as she spoke of her "warm friendship" with the royal.

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On Friday, thought it was time for Malia and Sasha, along with Michelle, to pack up their souvenirs and return to Washington DC to reunite with dad Barack Obama, who just wrapped up his own visit to Canada.

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