After ascending to the throne following his father Juan Carlos I’s dramatic abdication, Felipe VI oversaw a politically tumultuous time wherein Spain handled a number of political earthquakes, together with the 2017 Catalan independence disaster.
To mark the celebrations of his 10 years of reign, King Felipe VI appeared on the balcony of the Royal Palace of Madrid, accompanied by Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor, and Infanta SofÃa on Wednesday.
A decade in the past, Felipe VI ascended to the throne following the turbulent abdication of his father, Juan Carlos I, because of quite a few private and non-private scandals.
Since then, the monarch has targeted his efforts on renewing the monarchy and restoring its transparency and integrity.
“He is an effective individual and what occurred, occurred. And I would really like the household to be left alone,” expressed a lady within the crowd, reflecting the sentiment of many Spaniards who gathered this Wednesday on the Royal Palace of Madrid.
Institutional renewal
Throughout this decade, the Spanish king has additionally needed to make painful private selections to distance the monarchy from previous scandals.
This meant separating from his sister, Infanta Cristina, because of the corruption circumstances involving her husband, Iñaki UrdangarÃn, and managing his relationship along with his father, who moved to Abu Dhabi in 2020 and continues to reside outdoors of Spain.
“He has tried to distance himself from all of the scandals, holding the monarchical establishment utterly out of it. I believe he has accomplished it very appropriately,” mentioned one other attendee of the ten-year reign celebration.
The way forward for the monarchy now rests with Princess Leonor, who has reached the age of majority and has already sworn to uphold the nation’s structure.
The approaching years of Felipe VI’s reign will likely be essential to restoring confidence within the monarchy and reconnecting with Spanish society earlier than passing the throne to his inheritor.
Decade of challenges
One in all Felipe VI’s greatest challenges was the Catalan independence referendum in 2017, when the king addressed the nation to emphasise Spain’s unity.
“I consider the intervention after the referendum was very useful for all Spaniards and was a turning level that prevented the independence or separation of part of Spain,” acknowledged one of many attendees on the ceremony.
Throughout this decade, Felipe VI has needed to navigate a tumultuous political panorama. 5 normal elections in lower than 9 years have examined his potential to take care of stability and unity within the nation.
Nevertheless, the monarch has acquired criticism from Catalan pro-independence political events, accusing him of insensitivity to what they contemplate a battle between Spain and Catalonia, and from part of the Spanish left, which just some days in the past demonstrated in Madrid in favour of a republic.
Additionally, sectors of the acute proper have accused the monarch of being weak for fulfilling his function as head of state and never refusing to signal selections of parliament and the council of ministers, such because the controversial amnesty regulation for the Catalan leaders of the separatist “procés”.
Nevertheless, based on a survey printed by the newspaper El Español, 48.3% of Spaniards immediately want a constitutional monarchy in comparison with 37.4% who advocate for a republic, and 70% of residents contemplate the establishment a “assure of stability” for Spain, based on one other survey carried out by the conservative newspaper La Razón.
Day of commemoration
In commemoration of the tenth anniversary, the Royal Household presided over the solemn extraordinary altering of the Royal Guard on the Royal Palace.
Later, the king attended the award ceremony of the Order of Civil Benefit, the place quite a few residents have been adorned in recognition of their private dedication and social contribution.
“I’ve adhered — and can all the time adhere — to the structure and its values within the fulfilment of my duties. They’re a information for the train of my features,” affirmed Felipe VI through the occasion.
ADVERTISEMENT“It was — and is — the dedication of a constitutional king, which transcends the demand of responsibility: additionally it is on a private and ethical degree, as a deep expression of my respect and loyalty to the Spanish individuals, to whom I owe myself.”
The ceremony was attended by the primary powers of the state, together with the presidents of the federal government, the Congress of Deputies, and the Senate.
