wow! what a start to the week - this is definitely breaking news. i saw this this midday when having lunch as one of my co-workers pointed it out as it was on the TV which broadcasts the news in our office - i couldn't believe what i saw.
it's a shame they haven't released more details on what will happen next. maybe this was something on juan carlos' mind for a long time but maybe the final decision was rushed and they weren't expecting to have all the plan in place?
someone told me that as soon as the news spread, protests started throughout Spain asking for a referendum to choose between monarchy and republic. is it true?
yes, this is right, a demonstration will take place today according to the newspaper i read...
Duke, this explains why Queen Letizia will go to the event of FAO in November.
what does the event of FAO and the abdication have to do? can you tell us more lula?
JC may have some faults and made some mistakes but IMO everything he did in life (from childhood on) was in the best interest of the Bourbon dynasty.
I don't think he was forced to abdicate but believe that perhaps last year's abdications showed him that "things must change to stay the same" or become even better (like in NL, Belgium, Vatican)..
i forgot that the vatican was also another abdication! it's definitely being the "time for a change". yes, i believe that the fact his counterparts also abdicated combined with the scandals (inaki and cristina's corruption case, the elephant safari, his affaire with corinna...) made him consider this for some time already. i don't think the main reason was the "breath of fresh air" they are portraying in the speech, but obviously they can't tell us the real reasons, which are however known by everyone.
What about the Prince of Asturias Awards? Will Felipe continue to preside over them? Or will Leonor be the chairwoman? Or will Letizia (or Sofia) act instead of Leonor?
So many questions..
my take is that felipe will continue to preside the act this year, with leonor gaining more protagonism as time goes by, buy continuing to be accompanied either by felipe or letizia until she's an adult, and IMO we will see leonor at the event this year. i think sofia will continue to attend as guest as she has done until up to now.
I guess JC & Sofia will become Prince & Princess now? And Elena could give them a hand or two until Leonor reaches a certain age.
i don't think JC and sofia will now be princes again for some reason... look at the other catholic monarchies: belgium has 3 queens and 2 kings, luxembourg has 2 grand dukes... i believe JC + Sofia will continue to be king and queen.
however, i think it's a strong possibility that now elena and cristina will see their ranks decreased - it will be an "easy way out" of the cristina+iñaki situation to get them out of the way of the new king and queen before the judge pronounces his final decision on the case. sneaky, although maybe they decide to wait to hear the decision and then lower cristina and iñaki's ranks appropriately whilst keeping elena in the line, just in case something happened... always useful to have an adult heir! (and, who knows, maybe elena will get the title of princess of asturias until leonor becomes of age!)
And poor CP Mary will have to continue curtsying to QMII, to Maxima and now to Letizia !
why poor mary? someone will always need to be the last one, if it wasn't her, it would be someone else. you make it sound like it was so bad to have to do it... i doubt mary minds and understands this as the kind of behaviour that is expected of her until she herself becomes queen.
what makes me happy now is that hopefully we can expect several introductory visits to other countries when F+L become king and queen, just like WA+Maxima did or Philip+Mathilde.... looking forward, although the spanish isn't such a booming monarchy and with such an economic crisis, they may decide against it....
