A positive reaction to the Spanish abdication

The Daily Telegraph has an article about an opinion poll which points to a fairly significant upsurge in popular support for the Spanish monarchy in the days following the King's announcement of his intention of abdicating in favour of the Prince of Asturias. The article , which has some other relevant links, including one with comments from the King that he did not wish his son to grow too old waiting to succeed to the throne, can be seen at Was King Juan Carlos right to abdicate?

The suggestion may well be that in terms of serving the long term interests of the monarchy and the nation it has been the right, or appropriate, decision by King Juan Carlos. The King has shown himself a shrewd operator of the royal office since 1975, and this decision doubtless need to be understood in that light.

That said, it is unfair to all that he has achieved as King that recent difficulties should be seen to lead to abdication. It is also unwise that monarchs become, or are perceived to be, dependent upon popular support as reflected in such ephemeral things as public opinion polls. I am sure there are far deeper levels of support for the institution as well as the personalities of the Spanish monarchy, and that those will stand the future King Felipe VI in good stead.

Spanish abdication

The announcement by King Juan Carlos that he will abdicate as King of Spain appears to have come as something of a surprise, although there has been talk of the possibility of such a move on and off for the last couple of years. 

Given his remarkable and enduring achievements since 1975, as all serious commentators have agreed, it is unfortunate that in recent years that has been clouded by public criticism over what should be seen as minor problems. The economic and social crisis affecting Spain has clearly not helped, and must have told upon the King as well as his age - he certainly looks older and more tired, and he has had several operations in recent years.

I recall my own sense of excitement, indeed exhilaration, at the 1975 restoration, and the King's success,  and so ably supported by Queen Sofia, is both of historic significance for Spain, and an example other countries should follow.

Given that background I would think that he and the Spanish royal family would be anxious to avoid anything that might tend towards a repeat of the 1931 disaster when the economic crisis combined with the political fall-out from the end of the Primo de Rivera military government of the 1920s and the decline in popularity of King Alfonso XIII effectively turned the local elections of that year into a referendum on the monarchy and led to the establishment of the appalling second republic.

The King says that he decided to abdicate at this birthday in January, when he turned 76, but presumably has waited until after European elections to make his announcement, but before the Catalan independence referendum planned for the autumn.

A point I have seen made in recent years is that whilst many in Spain have and do admire the King as a person and for what he has done for the realm, the support for the monarchy is for the person rather than for the institution in itself. It may well be that in abdicating now the King sees the opportunity to follow in the patterns of events last year with the abdications in the Netherlands, Belgium and the Papacy, as well as the relatively recent case of Luxembourg, and to give the Prince of Asturias the opportunity to reforge and reinforce the bonds that the monarchy is there to provide and has provided not only in recent decades but through the history of Spain and its constituent realms.

This is then a way to manage the situation in the best interests of the nation and of its central institution, and potentially outflanking possible future problems. It seems clear that the Prince and Princess of Asturias have high public approval ratings and that the Prince has worked conscientiously as heir in a manner very similar to his cousins across Europe. He always appears serious minded man with genuine dedication to his future role.

It is also worth pointing out that abdications are not that unusual in Spain - indeed almost commonplace. King Charles I(i.e. Emperor Charles V)abdicated in 1556, and in 1724 King Felipe V (one used to think of him in English as Philip, but maybe we shall get used to thinking of the various Spanish Kings of that name as Felipe) abdicated - possibly thinking he might succeed the temporarily sickly King Louis XV in France, only to find that the French King recovered, but that his own son and successor, King Luis I, died the same year and he was recalled to the throne. King Charles IV abdicated in favour of his sone King Ferdinand VII, and his daughter Queen Isabella II, following the 1868 revolution abdicated in favour of her son King Alfonso XII, who was resored toi the throne in 1875. Indeed she outlived him by nineteen years, only dying in France in 1904.  I believe I am right in saying that King Alfonso XIII, realising his condition was terminal, abdicated afew days before his death in 1941 in Rome, presumably to ensure the formal transfer of authority to his de jure successor, his son King Juan III. He in turn renounced his rights in 1977, two years after his son King Juan Carlos was proclaimedas monarch. So having a former monarch around is not that unusual. There has been no conventional succession of an adult son or daughter to a deceased monarch really since 1788 when King Charles III and was succeeded by King Charles IV.

This evening a BBC report covered a military review at El Escorial attended by the King and the Prince of the Asturias, and as it pointed out the setting in front of the great palace monastery necropolis did stress continuity, which has been very much a theme of the reign of King Juan Carlos. Thus in burying his father as King Juan III and reinterring his grandparents King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenie at the Escorial the King symbolically indicated the continuity of his position with his ancestors, and that the monarchy was not a new creation of the Franco era.

The BBC website has various linked articles about the abdication and reaction to it which can be accessed at Spain sets out abdication plan.

As in this country in 1936 the monarch's abdication requires special legislation in the Cortes, so King Felipe VI will presumably take the oath and be acclaimed in June 18th.

The Mad Monarchist blog has a very good piece which I would endorse and concur with at The Abdication of King Juan Carlos.

 Viva El Rey!

The reign in Spain

The most notable absentees from the Monarchs' lunch at Windsor were the King and Queen of Spain, whose government interdicted their visit because of the continuing dispute over the sovereigny of Gibralter - the issue which prevented their attending the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1981.

This year is proving something of an annus horribilis for the King and Queen, who did not publically celebrate their Golden wedding last Monday. The various rumours of scandal around members of the Royal family as are recorded, in a rather negative way, in this report in the supposedly conservative Daily Telegraph.

In one sense this can be seen as a coming of age for the restored Spanish monarchy - like the other reigning dynasties of Europe they have become fair game for the bored and opinionated, for those with a fine nose for scandal and the grinding of particular axes. Too often, far too often it is the open season for sniping. Misjudgements there may have been, and mistakes made, but monarchs are human - that is one of the strengths of monarchy - it is not a machine.

In the last generation or so we have seen the Swedish monarchy prounced terminally doomed from before the present King's accession in 1973, the hostility to the present Queen of the Netherlands' marriage in the 1960s, the allegations around her father in 1976, and doubts as to the future at the time of her accession in 1980.

Here in the United Kingdom the problems of the mid 1990s were only too publically aired and discussed, and even in Denmark Prince Henrik has been the centre of various storms as indicated here.

In Luxembourg and Lichtenstein the constitional position of the monarch has been under fire and in Belgium the very future of the country, and hence the monarchy, questioned.

For the Spanish monarchy there is the problem of the hiatus between 1931-75, even if the monarchy was formally re-established in 1947. It has been argued that, despite the hitherto enormous popularity of the King, Spain itself is not a sufficently monarchist society. I do not know if that is true, but I can see that there might be some cause for concern for the future there. On the other hand this could be dismissed as the chattering classes at it again - and how they can chatter on such matters.

So it is not easy, and for the moment it is the Spanish crown that is under the public scrutiny. The country has far more serious problems with which to concern itself, and should in no way belittle the extraordinary and fundamental achievements of the King and Queen and the Prince of Asturias in providing the stable constitutional framework that allows it as a nation to try to deal with the consequences of the eurocrisis, and which has guided it since 1975.

Viva El Rey!

Birthday of the King of Spain

Today is the 74th birthday of the King of Spain, and an opportunity to express good wishes to a sovereign who has not only proved dutiful and capable but is also a shining example of what a monarchy can offer a nation.

The King and Queen of Spain

Image:barcelonareporter.com

His reign shows what could be done in other countries less fortunate than Spain and which have not restored their historic institutions of governance. The recent problems surrounding one of his sons-in-law are unfortunate and the Royal family are clearly showing their distance from allegations of financial scandal, but the King's achievements far outweigh what must be, I trust, a passing shadow.

An insight into his approach to kingship in the modern age can be gleaned from this article from 2008 which is based around letters he wrote to the Prince of Asturias whilst the Infante was studying in the USA.

The King and Queen of Spain and the Prince of Asturias

Image: Daily Telegraph

Spain is very fortunate indeed in its King and Queen and their royal family, as is the cause of monarchy across Europe and the world.

The Crown of Spain

Today is the 73rd birthday of the King of Spain.

Apart from wishing His Majesty well it is an occasion to reflect upon the fact that he is now the longest lived reigning Spanish monarch, having oulived King Carlos III. He has very nearly outlived Queen Isabella II, born in 1830, but she formally abdicated in 1870, although she lived on until 1904. The King's father, the de jure King Juan III, died in his eightieth year in 1993.

In my post in November to mark the 35th anniversary of the King's formal accession I reproduced a photograph of the oath taking before the Cortes, which included the crown itself in the foreground.

The accession ceremony in 1975

The Spanish royal crown, sometimes known as the crown of Alfonso of Spain, is the symbol of the Spanish monarchy and has been used in proclamation ceremonies since the 18th century. The last Spanish king being solemnly crowned was King Juan I of Castile (August 24, 1358 – October 9, 1390). After him, all Castilian and Spanish kings have assumed the throne by proclamation and acclamation before representitives of the Church and realm, and since the 18th century, before the Cortes Generales.There is no formal act of coronation although the royal crown has been present in these ceremonies. King Juan Carlos I was proclaimed King of Spain in November 22, 1975 with the following symbols displayed in front of him:

The Commemorative Crown first used at the funeral of Elisabeth Farnese, Queen consort of King Philip V in 1766. The crown, made of silver gilt and which has no gems, displays the seals of the founding kingdoms of Castile and León, with a turret and lion respectively. It was made by order of King Charles III in Madrid and replaces insignia lost in the Great Fire of Christmas Eve 1734 which destroyed the old royal palace in Madrid .

A sceptre, a present from Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, to King Philip II and made in Vienna in the 16th century.

A silver crucifix, from the collection of the Congress of Deputies.

The last time the crown was seen in public was at the state funeral at the arrival of the remains and the burial of King Alfonso XIII in 1981 in the royal vault at El Escorial.

The crown is held by the Patrimonio Nacional.

King Alfonso XIII reads the Speech from the Throne at the opening of the Cortes, accompanied by Queen Victoria Eugenie, Queen María Cristina the Queen Mother and his aunt the Infanta Isabel. The crown can be seen to the King's right on a table on the edge of the dais.

The King of Spain - thirty five years on

Today is the 35th anniversary of the King of Spain assuming the crown when he took the constitutional oath in front of the Cortes and the Council of the Realm, thus definitively re-establishing and restoring the Spanish monarchy in 1975.

The accession ceremony in 1975

Now for me that was indeed a time when to be (relatively) young was very Heaven. Here one was witnessing the restoration of a great and historic institution. I remember reading at the time John Evelyn's account of the arrival of King Charles II in London in 1660 to put events in historical context.

Back in 1975 clever people dismissed the King's chances of survival - he was going to be 'Juan Carlos the Brief'...

Thirty five yeas on he and his people can look back over the process whereby the restored monarchy has enabled the various and varied groups which comprise Spanish society to reconcile differences and find means of living together as a society. In a time of constitutional, political and social change the Crown has provided a symbolic and actual centre of unity, and been an enabling force, as in 1981 when the King withstood the attempted coup.

As I posted recently Portugal as a neighbour and as a country with a not dissimilar history is one that I think could profit from the Spanish experience, as could those countries which became free after 1989 - indeed Bulgaria did have the novel experiment of the legitimate King as Prime minister of a republic. The achievement of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, and of their family is considerable, and worthy of emulation. Long may they reign!

The King of Spain