At Palencia, the Norwegians were officially met by King Alfonso who accompanied them to the city of Valladolid on 3 January 1258, "where she was warmly welcomed by all the townspeople, the nobility, and the clergy who were gathered there for the Cortes". There she met the King's brothers for the first time, and ultimately chose the youngest, Philip, who was three years older than Christina. Although he had been trained for an ecclesiastical position and had charge of the church at Covarrubias, his greatest enjoyment was in hunting boars and bears. (Philip had been groomed by his father, Ferdinand III of Castile, for a life in the church and was subsequently rewarded with territories and properties (benefices) as part of this bargain, but after his father's death in 1252, Philip relinquished that role to the "chagrin" of Alfonso).