King Juan Carlos's Health Issues


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I am curious why no family member was with the king when he was discharged from the hospital.

This is not the first time that JC has been in hospital (I'm not referring to his lung surgery last year) and I don't think his family was ever with him when he was discharged in the past.

I remember years ago when JC, young and gorgeous then :p, went to hospital after he walked through a glass door. QS and the then children went to visit but were not around when he was discharged. I have a clear picture of JC shaking hands with the doctors, getting into his car and leaving.

IMO, it has to do with how political systems work - the Head of the State needs to be seen well and in control.
 
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It's not all about image, at the end of the day they re your family and the most of al who will support & stand by you. There is nothing that will ruin his image if his wife was standing by him.

Since he is going to Barcelona, does that mean the Queen will also move there for a few weeks?
 
It's not all about image, at the end of the day they re your family and the most of al who will support & stand by you. There is nothing that will ruin his image if his wife was standing by him.

Since he is going to Barcelona, does that mean the Queen will also move there for a few weeks?

The Queen maintains her normal agenda, this week she has engagements in Madrid(today one in Guipúzcoa) so I don't think she can move to Barcelona permanently for a few weeks.
 
It's not all about image, at the end of the day they re your family and the most of al who will support & stand by you. There is nothing that will ruin his image if his wife was standing by him.

Since he is going to Barcelona, does that mean the Queen will also move there for a few weeks?

I guess we have to agree to disagree here :flowers:
Like Alondra said before, there is a choreography to everything, who shows up for a visit when (Queen with Infantas, Princes usually separately) and finally the King, back to his powers.

With regards to Queen Sofia moving to Barcelona temorarily, its no secret that the Kings have more or less a business relationship and live separate lifes even within Zarzuela.
 
I guess we have to agree to disagree here :flowers:
Like Alondra said before, there is a choreography to everything, who shows up for a visit when (Queen with Infantas, Princes usually separately) and finally the King, back to his powers.

With regards to Queen Sofia moving to Barcelona temorarily, its no secret that the Kings have more or less a business relationship and live separate lifes even within Zarzuela.

I don't remember what happened last year but the Queen entered the hospital to visit her husband on her own the two days, the Prince and Princess went obviously together and infanta Elena arrived(on foot) on her own too.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
Yes, correct, its all about image.


With most 'Heads of State' in the world today, their persona, or image must remain intact to their respective citizens.The psychology of presenting and maintaining an image as a head of state, is more than likely from many years of research on this particular subject. In other words, the pix of the king's family arriving at the hospital to visit him could have very well been staged. Not that his various family members did not visit him while he was there, but the photos did present and maintain HM JC's persona. I am not saying this is a bad thing, only that what appears to be real, sometimes simply is not. I am sure HM JC had more than enough 'people' to help him through the hospital discharge process and to make sure he got home to rest comfortably. I do hope His Majesty does not have any serious medical conditions and wish him a very speedy recovery!
 
In other words, the pix of the king's family arriving at the hospital to visit him could have very well been staged. Not that his various family members did not visit him while he was there, but the photos did present and maintain HM JC's persona.

Yes, I agree. The photos are staged in the sense that the family members show up to reassure the public that everything is fine and well. Sofia never gets tired to tell every journalist how well everything went, then you have the "thumbs up" from Infanta Elena and the heir couple paying their visit. Its all about the image of the SRF, standing together as a family supporting the King.

In "normal" families, espcially in the last situation, the wife would come to help but most children with busy lifes wouldnt even bother to pop by in the hospital because knee surgery is pretty much routine with a quick turnover.
 
Every modern monarchy is, by necessity, run like a "firm".
The BRF unashamedly call themselves "The Firm".

It's no surprise to me that the royals get fed up with their - more or less enforced - lifestyle.
 
Has there ever been a statement from HM JC's press staff that has addressed his health problems? I thought I had read that the king had had a problem with his lung last year. Do you think he had/has lung cancer? Is he a smoker? Or are his health problems something else completely different? What are the official/unofficial health problems from which the monarch suffers?
 
Has there ever been a statement from HM JC's press staff that has addressed his health problems? I thought I had read that the king had had a problem with his lung last year. Do you think he had/has lung cancer? Is he a smoker? Or are his health problems something else completely different? What are the official/unofficial health problems from which the monarch suffers?

there were communiquees regarding the lung surgery last year (confirmed: no cancer) and the knee surgery this year. JC has been a smoker and was forced to give up. he has had a full-speed lifestyle that is taking its toll now.
Other than than the King doesnt look well, has been stumbling, speech slurred what is not being commented on (the other two issues had to be commented on because the King was admitted to hospital - everything else that is being treated by the medical department in Zarzuela certainly wouldnt be mentioned). They will only admit what they cannot deny, meaning that it is possible that the lung & knee surgery are only the tip of the iceberg.
 
IMO, it has to do with how political systems work - the Head of the State needs to be seen well and in control.

IMO it has to do with the personal issues between JC and Sofia. Whether he is well or in control, people can see through their eyes, whether Sofia is there with him or not doesn't matter. Actually it would give a better image if he left the hospital with Sofia and Sofia visited him at the hospital as often as she could.
I remember last lung surgery, after he left the hospital alone, no family member (except for Felipe before a soccer game) visited him in the Barcelona clinic, the yellow heart programs were talking about a 'lonely' sick man being abandoned by his family :cool:.
 
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Sofia and JC have issues with each other??? They have been more like friends over the years and going through the paces then anything but I feel that deep down that they actually care for eachother.
 
Thanks for posting Ladyfinn!


There are several close up photos of His Majesty & they are the healthiest photos I've seen of The King in a long time.

The rest must be doing him good & the beard is also gone.

Hopefully he looked bad because his knee was causing him a lot of pain and after the operation he's feeling much better.
 
There are several close up photos of His Majesty & they are the healthiest photos I've seen of The King in a long time.

The rest must be doing him good & the beard is also gone.

I think it makes a huge difference for the better!
 
Sofia and JC have issues with each other??? They have been more like friends over the years and going through the paces then anything but I feel that deep down that they actually care for eachother.

That's the 'issues' I was referring to. They have been more like friends than normal life husband and wife. Sofia has accepted JC's lifestyle.
 
Has His Majesty left Mallorca or is he still there?
 
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