I'm going to lead with the chin here (Habsburgs, geddit?), but the Camino pre-dates Victoria's pinnacle of the Renaissance a cappella repertoire by some way. England's relationship with 'absentee royals' is very mixed, and while Phillip II was England's only monarch bearing that name, Victoria's masterpiece is often attributed to him, whereas it is in fact for his sister. The Dowager Empress Maria (also known as Isabel) was a daughter of Charles V, a true titan of Tudor Europe. She was a holy Roman Empress of note, not just for the 16 children (in 19 years) but for considerable political prowess and influence in troubled times. 

 

Eventually returning from Bohemia and what she saw as heretically challenged times, in Spain she was Victoria's patron and continued her political influence from a chosen life in Madrid's (regal) convent.

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That Victoria dived deep into his best and most sonorous work for his patron shows not only a dutiful protege but one who revered her steadfastness in faith. Phillip II was much more pragmatic, seeking to court Elizabeth I should the ill-fated marriage to Bloody Mary fail. Thwarted in turn, he embarked on the famous Armada invasion attempt, and what most people don't realise is that after 1588 there were another 3 attempts too. Phillip was keen to achieve a long-held belief of his sister that conquering England would drive a stake into the heart of the Reformation and troublesome northern European protestants.  Maria didn't live to see it achieved, and indeed her mass was composed two years after the failed fourth attempt and the abortive battle of Kinsale. It contributes to the depth of feeling poured into it.

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So back to that chin. Empress Maria sports the distinctive genetic 'tell' that ran for a few centuries after that for the Habsburgs. We, however, take the chance to slip in some nautical allusions both to the efforts of one piratical Francis Drake of the time, but also a grateful nod to Spanish Ladies from a tad later. 

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It's worth noting too that just 99 years later, Perfidious Albion would be on the same side as its formally implacable enemies when one Randolf Churchill led victorious allies, including the Habsburgs, in the wars of the Spanish Succession, most notably, Blenheim.