Spain’s King Felipe VI is considered sober and dutiful. But on special occasions, royal protocol can also be really pompous. And his daughters show their feelings.
On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his enthronement, Spain’s King Felipe VI has placed his reign under the motto “service, commitment and sense of duty”. The crown must always be guided by the virtues of credibility and integrity, said the monarch in a speech to invited guests. “In this way, the crown contributes to the stability of our institutions and the cohesion of our society through its integrative power,” emphasised the 56-year-old.
Royal family on the balcony
The anniversary celebrations began in the morning with a changing of the guard by the Royal Guard. The half-hour ceremony with lots of pomp, riders and historical uniforms took place on the Plaza de la Armería in front of the Royal Palace in Madrid. Felipe, Queen Letizia, heir to the throne Leonor and her sister Sofía watched the colourful military spectacle from a balcony, during which six planes from the air force’s aerobatic team, Patrulla Águila (Eagle Patrol), thundered over the palace and painted stripes in the national colours of red and yellow in the sky.
The King then awarded the Civil Merit to 19 deserving citizens from all regions of the country, as was shown on television. They also attended a celebratory lunch at the Royal Palace, to which Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and numerous other dignitaries and personalities from the state and society were also invited.
Daughters at the microphone
After a speech by the monarch, Leonor and Sofía suddenly appeared at the microphone with a very personal thank you to their parents: “Mum, Dad, Majesties, (…) thank you for remembering with us that in these ten years we have learned from our parents what the commitment of the four of us means for all Spaniards.”
Felipe was enthroned on June 19, 2014, after his father, former King Juan Carlos, abdicated. The royal family was in crisis at the time due to scandals surrounding Juan Carlos. Since then, Felipe has tried to restore the crown’s reputation. Felipe keeps his distance from his father, who has been living in exile in Abu Dhabi since 2020.
According to a survey conducted by the Sigma Dos polling institute on behalf of the newspaper “El Mundo”, almost 50 percent of Spaniards believe that the monarchy is in a better or much better position today than it was in 2014. At the same time, however, a good 40 percent of those surveyed reject the constitutional monarchy.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
