King Felipe VI of Spain began his royal
year in a very different way. Every January 6th, the Spanish
monarch oversees the ‘Pascua Militar’ in Madrid, the traditional
ceremony marking the start of the military year. However, in 2021,
events were curtailed owing to the coronavirus pandemic. King
Felipe and Queen Letizia arrived at the Royal Palace in Madrid on a
cold and crisp…
King Juan Carlos I of Spain was visited
by his eldest child, Infanta Elena, as he spent his birthday in
exile. The former monarch turned 83 on January 5th 2021 and passed
the day in Abu Dhabi where he has been living since August 2020
after deciding to leave the country…
The shadow that threatened obscurity: Spain's Royal Year in Review
28th December 2020
In the end, it was the invisible man who
attracted all the attention. The royal year in Spain has been
dominated by King Juan Carlos. From ongoing scandals to a dramatic
flight into exile, his every move has been the focal point for
millions. As 2020 comes to an end, the…
King Felipe’s Christmas Eve address, in
which he spoke of the importance of principles and ethics, has
become the most watched royal festive speech in Spanish history.
The broadcast, which was shown across a number of channels in Spain
at 9pm, broke the record for number of viewers set in 1993 when
Felipe’s father, King Juan Carlos, addressed Spain. This year’s
speech was…
King Felipe places focus on unity and integrity in much anticipated Christmas speech
24th December 2020
King Felipe VI has highlighted the
importance of principles and ethical obligations in his Christmas
speech in a thinly veiled reference to the scandal surrounding his
father, King Juan Carlos. The comments came towards the end of a
highly anticipated festive address…
Political pressure grows for King Felipe VI to criticise his father in his Christmas Eve speech
23rd December 2020
A spokesperson for the minority partner
in Spain’s coalition government has told King Felipe that he must
condemn the financial irregularities of his father, Juan Carlos, in
his Christmas Eve speech as a ‘bare minimum’. A representative of
the left wing…
The leader of Spain’s main opposition
party has claimed that the government is hiding the royals away on
visits to Catalonia. The accusation came after King Felipe and
Queen Letizia travelled to Barcelona on a visit that was only made
public once they had arrived. Usually, the Spanish Royal Family
publish their diary for the week ahead on a Friday. But the trip,
on December 21st 2020…
Will King Felipe use his Christmas speech to publicly distance himself from his father?
19th December 2020
A Spanish government minister has
indicated that King Felipe will use his Christmas message to
distance himself from his father, Juan Carlos I, whose financial
affairs have seen his royal family plunged into crisis over the
past year. Exactly a week before Felipe is set…
Queen Letizia visited Honduras earlier
this week to provide humanitarian support following the Hurricanes
Eta and Iota that left devastating flooding in their wake in the
Central American country. Arriving on Monday at the Coronel Héctor
Moncada Air Base, Queen Letizia…
Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia
have revealed their 2020 Christmas card which features their two
daughters, Princess Leonor, 15, and Infanta Sofía, 13. This year’s
card says, in Spanish and English, “May this Christmas bring us a
specially hopeful New Year 2021.” The King, Queen and their
daughters also have their signatures printed at the bottom with a…
