Future and Popularity of the Spanish Monarchy


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This week there were fierce debates in Barcelona. Since the last local elections there is a left-wing coalition led by Podemos forming a majority in the second biggest city of Spain. Last week a buste of King Juan Carlos was taken away from a piedestal in the city hall, placed in a box with unknown destination. The Partido Popular (the governing party in Spain but in the local opposition in Barcelona) took a state portrait of King Felipe VI into the municipal assembly. The portrait was placed on a chair, visible for all. Hastily a clerk from the council picked up the picture and removed it. The Council explained the bust of King Juan Carlos and the photo of King Felipe VI were removed "to trim the overdose of royal symbolism" in the city.

In the end of September there are elections in Catalonia and the separatists have announced to grab this opportunity to call for an independent republic of Catalonia, with Barcelona as capital. King Felipe VI, who regularly visits Spain, was at the same time visiting Barcelona, where he presided the investiture of new magistrates. In the presence of the separatist regional president, Mr Artur Más, the King stressed the importance of obedience to the democratic laws as an ultimate guarantee for the freedom of all citizens. "The Constitution is the fundamental law which has given us the most stable period ever in our history" so stated the King.

The words of King Felipe VI were immediately seen as an exceptional warning to the Catalonian regional president, that he is manoeuvering dangerously close to the limits of the state of law. The President remained silent in the presence of the King but outside he said to journalists that he felt not at all addressed by the King's words.

In the meantime the immensely popular former FC Barcelona footballer and trainer, now trainer of Bayern München, Pep Guardiola, has publicly declared to back Catalonian independence and the establishment of a republic. The city of Zaragoza has decided to rename the Pavillion Príncipe Felipe into that of Pavillion José Luis Abós, after a former local famous handball-player. The municipality of Montcada i Reixah (near Barcelona) has also removed the state portrait of King Felipe VI. In Cádiz the portrait of King Juan Carlos has been removed and no new portrait was ordered, now the empty space in the municipal council filled with a painting of art.

The Vice Prime Minister of Spain, Mrs Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría y Antón, has warned municipalities to respect the legal obligation to have a painting, a bust, a picture, etc. to depict the head of state. It seems the new left-wing Mayor of Madrid (from Podemos) has started all this by removing the photo of King Felipe VI out of her office in the Madrid City Hall. Mrs Sáenz de Santamaría sarcastistically stated: "Look, that is now their contribution to democracy".

El ‘efecto Colau’ contra sÃ*mbolos monárquicos se extiende | Cataluña | EL PAÍS

Needless to say that all this is pretty relativating the hurrah!-posts above about an assumed "boost in popularity". It is just where, when and who the pollers asked.


The polls are based on a scientific, random sample of the entire Spanish population and are far more accurate, within their mathematically computed margin of error, than the isolated actions of republican, separatist or leftist mayors or municipal councillors in arbitrarily picked cities. In fact, rather than those surveyed in the national polls, the anti-monarchist groups in your post are the ones who can be considered a biased sample.

Having said that, the Spanish daily ABC recently had a report that claimed the Spanish Intelligence Services had uncovered an alleged joint plot by separatists (mostly in Catalonia) and leftists elsewhere in Spain to attack and discredit the King. Basically, what unites those groups is a common desire to undermine the 1979 constitutional settlement. The motivation for the campaign against the King, according to ABC, is that the anti-monarchist alliance identifies the monarchy both as the pillar of and the weakest link in the constitution. Hence, the rationale is that , if the monarchy falls, it will cause a domino effect that will bring down the entire Spanish State as we know it and force a new constitutional settlement which could be then shaped according to the interests both of the separatists and the left (which are not necessarily the same BTW).

I don't think the republicans will prevail though. At least, not when the King has over 60 % support and is backed both by the center-right PP and the mainstream center-left Socialist Party. The real extent of support for independence in Catalonia specifically is also unclear to me and may be inflated (or overstated) by the separatist side.

Besides, from a historical perspective, we should not forget how resilient the Spanish Bourbons can be. If I am not mistaken, they have been deposed three times over the past 200 years or so, and then restored again to power.
 
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Even outside of Spain there is interest in what is going on with the SRF. AFAIK the Spanish language channels in the U.S. cover some of the events in their news
broadcasts. I'm pretty sure that Felipe and Letizia's wedding was aired live on Telemundo in 2004.


For obvious historical reasons and a shared cultural heritage (including language) , the Spanish royal family gets a lot of coverage all over Latin America. In fact, their coverage and high profile in Spanish-speaking countries is similar to the exposure that the British royal family has for example in the United States .
 
The polls are based on a scientific, random sample of the entire Spanish population and are far more accurate, within their mathematically computed margin of error, than the isolated actions of republican, separatist or leftist mayors or municipal councillors in arbitrarily picked cities. [...]

These "isolated republicans" now have the majority in the biggest city - Madrid, the capital of the kingdom, where the Mayor (Mrs Manuela Carmena, a former Communiste, a former Justice of the Supreme Court even...) leads a coalition of Podemos and left-wing parties under the banner of Ahora Madrid

These "isolated republicans" now also have the majority in the second biggest city - Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, where the Mayor (Mrs Ada Colau, a founder of the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages leads a coalition of Podemos and other left-wing parties under the banner of Barcelona en Comù.

Sadly for them, Madrid and Barcelona, the two biggest cities are also the cities where the King regularly is. It is often visible that these officials at least bring, with a stone face, the bare minimum of requested "respect" for the head of state. Everything they do in the presence of the King is visibly done with "tja-I-have-to-do-this-but-I-would-rather-be-shopping-in-the-supermarket-now" faces.

:sad:
 
In order of the Mayor of Barcelona, Mrs Ada Colau, a buste of King Juan Carlos is removed from the council in the City Hall: picture. This is Barcelona's "honour" to the man who firmly led after-Franco Spain into democracy.

:ermm:

Councillors of the Partido Popular (the governing party in Spain but in the opposition in Barcelona) placed a picture of King Felipe VI: picture. This was removed by clerks, in order of the Mayor.

:sad:
 
! Spanish News Today - Artur Mas Ready To Launch Next Bid For Catalan Independence

Felipe VI fulfills his constitutional role against the independence challenge of Artur Mas: he intervenes publicly with gestures and pronouncements. He also acts discreetly within the philosophy inherited from his father, promoting dialogue and seeking consensus. He executes his work as head of state carefully, following the duties and limits established in the constitution: guarantor of the unity of Spain, chief of the Armed Forces, representing the country abroad and arbiter and moderator of politics.

Since his proclamation as King, Don Felipe has managed to balance his actions and public statements, seeking the dialogue broken by the independency leaders of Catalonia. He has tried several times, but has been stonewalled by Mas and his partners.

In this task of seeking consensus and ensuring the unity of Spain, Felipe VI not only has faced the obstacle of the independence front. The King has also been in a situation of helplessness by the lack of a clear strategy from the Government of Mariano Rajoy to seek political solutions that are not limited to law enforcement. The Crown can not play the role of arbiter and facilitator if it receives no assignment from Rajoy and a roadmap to advance towards a consensus that have contributed so much to the democratic development in our country before.

The Catalan question can not be solved by state attorneys. What is needed is a political language able to fit all the Catalans in Spain in addition to a re-organisation of the Autonomic States.
Cataluña: El papel del Rey | Opinión | EL PAÍS
 
A really big challange for the King.
 
Tough times and perhaps some choppy waters ahead for King Felipe VI ,it will be an enormous task.
 
Tough times and perhaps some choppy waters ahead for King Felipe VI ,it will be an enormous task.


The political responsibility to keep the country together doesn't lie with the King IMHO, but rather with the Spanish government. Just as a comparison, when the UK was threatened by Scottish independence, Queen Elizabeth II remained strictly neutral and never spoke on the matter, while the British government and the unionist political parties in Scotland took upon themselves to campaign against independence.

The main difference, as I see it, is that the British government opted for a cooperative approach, agreeing to a referendum on Scottish independence once the Scottish Nationalists got a majority in the Scottish parliament (note that the Scottish government could not have called a referendum unilaterally; only the UK Parliament could do it legally). In Spain, on the contrary, Mariano Rajoy and the Spanish government chose a path of confrontation, refusing to agree to a referendum which the separatists, pretty much like in Scotland, would have probably lost. That heavy-handed approach of the Spanish government then led to calls for a unilateral declaration of independence or similar unconstitutional moves by the Catalan government.
 
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The difference to Britain is that when the British goverment allowed the vote of independence, the polls showed that only around 20% of Scots were in favour of independence. They thought, lets show how democratic we are, without the risk of losing Scotland.

But when the vote came, it was 45% YES and 55% NO and beforehand Cameron had to travel to Scotland like a beggar luring them to stay with lots of concessions.

So it is clear that Rajoy will not allow the referendum in the first place, because it is already past the point of a clear NO vote.
 
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In the meantime the immensely popular former FC Barcelona footballer and trainer, now trainer of Bayern München, Pep Guardiola, has publicly declared to back Catalonian independence and the establishment of a republic.

Yes, he is very outspoken about it and has listed himself as a candidate for a possible parliament. I don't think Bayern Munich bosses are happy about it since they want him to fully concentrate on football.
Whenever people refer to him as 'spanish' - what happened very often in Germany in the beginning - he will interrupt the journalist and insist on the correction, that he is from Catalonia, not from Spain.
 
For so far the superficial polls about the popularity of the Spanish royal family. Personal approval of persons can not be linked with approval for the institution per sé. It is very well possible that people think Don Felipe is a nice man but are still in favour of a republican form of state. I sometimes miss that insight when in this forum people connect the melting hearts of Spaniards for cute little Doña Leonor with support for the monarchy.
 
For so far the superficial polls about the popularity of the Spanish royal family. Personal approval of persons can not be linked with approval for the institution per sé. It is very well possible that people think Don Felipe is a nice man but are still in favour of a republican form of state. I sometimes miss that insight when in this forum people connect the melting hearts of Spaniards for cute little Doña Leonor with support for the monarchy.

According to the El Mundo poll that was posted in this forum, King Felipe's personal approval rating was 74.7 % whereas approval for the monarchy as a political form of state was 61.5 %. In other words, although D. Felipe is personally more popular than the monarchy as an institution, support for the institution is still very strong among Spaniards and well above the 50 % mark.
 
The difference to Britain is that when the British goverment allowed the vote of independence, the polls showed that only around 20% of Scotts were in favour of independence. They thought, lets show how democratic we are, without the risk of losing Scotland.

But when the vote came, it was 45% YES and 55% NO and beforehand Cameron had to travel to Scotland like a beggar luring them to stay with lots of concessions.

So it is clear that Rajoy will not allow the referendum in the first place, because it is already past the point of a clear NO vote.

In the most recent BOP poll in Catalonia, 50 % were against independence, 42.9 % were in favor, 5.8 % did not know, and 1.3 % did not reply. A 'Yes' victory in a possible referendum is far from a foregone conclusion then.

In any case, the question here is not how the Spanish government should handle Catalan separatism, but rather what the Crown's position should be. As I said, in my personal opinion, D. Felipe should follow Queen Elizabeth's example and stay away from this issue as much as possible. If the King is seen as taking sides, the political neutrality of the monarchy will be compromised. That is a problem for the politicians to sort out among themselves.
 
The attitude of the Heads of State is very different, while QEII officially stayed neutral, Felipe (and before him JC) have always stressed the importance of unification of Spain, it was one of the main topics in his inauguration speech.
 
In the most recent BOP poll in Catalonia, 50 % were against independence, 42.9 % were in favor, 5.8 % did not know, and 1.3 % did not reply. A 'Yes' victory in a possible referendum is far from a foregone conclusion then.

In any case, the question here is not how the Spanish government should handle Catalan separatism, but rather what the Crown's position should be. As I said, in my personal opinion, D. Felipe should follow Queen Elizabeth's example and stay away from this issue as much as possible. If the King is seen as taking sides, the political neutrality of the monarchy will be compromised. That is a problem for the politicians to sort out among themselves.

The difference with Scotland is that it is one of the crowns in the Union which wanted to separate but keep the Queen as head of state.

In Spain, Catalonia, part of the one and the only State, represented by the Crown, wants to break away and head for a republic.

That is a total different situation for Don Felipe than what was faced by Queen Elizabeth II.
 
The difference with Scotland is that it is one of the crowns in the Union which wanted to separate but keep the Queen as head of state.

In Spain, Catalonia, part of the one and the only State, represented by the Crown, wants to break away and head for a republic.

That is a total different situation for Don Felipe than what was faced by Queen Elizabeth II.

When the Australian government called a referendum to abolish the monarchy , QEII didn't campaign against the republic. I'm pretty sure that, if the Scottish nationalists had been in favor of abolishing the monarchy in an independent Scotland, she would still have stayed neutral in the referendum.

I can understand King Juan Carlos taking a more active role in state affairs in the 1970s and early 1980s. I don't see the need though for King Felipe do the same in present circumstances.
 

Apart from some inaccuracies the general tone of the article is relatively correct indeed. But when I was in Spain last year and this year (twice), all three times Doña Letizia was the one being ridiculized, the aim of mockeries, laughter and satire. Don Felipe however seems to have a wide approval amongst the people I met. So Andrew Morton's (why is that nitwit used as an expert by the Washington Post?) claim that the monarchy rests on the frail shoulders of Letizia Ortiz..... mwoah... come on.
 
Its always easier for the born royal. Spanish people grew up with Felipe, they can easily relate to him, and he personally hasn't put much of a foot wrong. He's is a good representative for the country, whether you like the institution or not.
Problem is that finding Felipe likable doesn't make people all of a sudden like the institution, but that was the same with his father. Many people called themselves Juancarlists and not monarchists, and only time will tell if there will be enough Felipistas in the end.
Even though the last years of his reign went bad, Juan Carlos needs to be cut some slack for what he did, Felipe just managed one difficult year, Juan Carlos had almost 4 decades of a difficult time, very often with hard personal sacrifices and his/his family's life in danger.
Letizia is the consort and unimportant in the big picture. During the past ten years it became clear that she doesn't relate to people in a way that SHE could make like them like the instituion all of a sudden or give it a big boost (a la Maxima).
Letizia is a cash cow for the tabloids and they will write these stories at least as long as she keeps her looks, at some point her daughters will take over in terms of tabloids because they will be young and beautiful, especially Leonor, because she will be in Felipe's position.
 
I agree with your assessment. And it is indeed important for all our esteemed fellow-contributors at the Royal Forums to realize that personal popularity is not the same as being in favour of the monarchy.

It is very well possible that most Catalans actually do like Don Felipe but simply favour a republic. So polls with "popularity" of Doña Letizia, the King, etc. do not really give an indication about the fundaments of the monarchy.

That counts for all monarchies anyway. I can see the Dutch or the Swedes going to a republic, despite Máxima's or Victoria's popularity. Popularity comes in on a snail but leaves on horseback.
 
Agree about Letizia. However I wonder why in relation to the other Queens Consorts Letizia had an advantage the job. As a journalist came more directly into contact with the people and what should I imagine was a plus in its relationship with the people. But apparently it was not enough.

The problem for me is not only the origin." She is commoner the jealous because she and not me". The problem is that the Letizia does not have this charisma to come into contact with the people and wins. She seem like a distant cold to think itself and not the other "I'm not a commoner anymore I'm your queen".

It is not so easy to forget the scandals of the royal family. Do not forget the famous trip of Juan Carlos and a trial that even the wait to be done. Felipe is king one year and already has improved considerably the image of the monarchy. But it has not in my opinion significant support from unprepared for the role of Queen consort.
 
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:previous: I do not know what it is about Letizia, but she is the yardstick by which a lot of people will measure and judge the monarchy. Let's be honest, Infanta Christina's scandal has not done the monarchy any good and it seems that Queen Letizia has not managed to establish any real rapport with the people.

The conundrum that is Letizia is well illustrated by two major events, her appearance at the wedding of CP Frederik to Mary Donaldson and just over a week later, her own wedding:

At the Danish wedding:

http://redhotbrides.com/blog/media/blogs/red hot brides/GenericRed/UsedOnce/zc5.JPG
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/d6/68/0f/d6680f7f9a44882b6118fe451b1731b2.jpg
http://cache3.asset-cache.net/gc/83...uyPq6kxWLoQy6Rfry+DANoB/FoB6ufbewzI7a1CK7Kw==

At her own wedding:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GhqyFzHOJZQ/VAS0aE9iUUI/AAAAAAABHIg/oDyfMhRtJIY/s1600/Letizia2.jpg
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...990JzXHb49pAuvIOtW6_EgDIc7fncfnRkgXXwfjloMBkA
http://cache4.asset-cache.net/gc/10...uaE+PNRopYk71Nij4ZG8TvrPfZGVVLEqGkXJbGQ/J/A==

At the Danish wedding we saw a confident, elegant, even flamboyant lady in red. She totally owned that look and Felipe looked so proud strutting along beside her. Yet, in little more than a week we saw this almost shrinking violet hanging on to Felipe. Her total demeanor had changed and here was this timid wee thing smiling shyly at everyone and seemingly overwhelmed by everything. She'd even managed to lose her bust!

Which was the real Letizia? It just didn't make sense. It still doesn't. And, while I hold her appearance in that ravishing red gown to be one of her finest moments, she doesn't even look like that anymore. If I am confused how much more so are the people of Spain?

She is a conundrum.
 
In my humble opinion the people of Spain have difficulties seeing Doña Letizia as the Queen indeed because they have known her for years and years, coming evening after evening in their living rooms, presenting the news.

Suddenly that high-profiled newsreader is Her Majesty The Queen... It is the same as suddenly saying "Your Royal Highness" to Fiona Bruce or Sophie Raworth (presenters of BBC News). You can be close to the people. You can also be too close to the people, even coming in their living rooms, every evening again...
 
I don't think so. I've read articles and interviews and listened to opinions: most of the people think that Letizia is much more appreciated now a sa queen than when shewas the Princess of Asturias. It has a lot to do with the fact than in her role as a princess she could spread her wings.
 
I don't think so. I've read articles and interviews and listened to opinions: most of the people think that Letizia is much more appreciated now a sa queen than when shewas the Princess of Asturias. It has a lot to do with the fact than in her role as a princess she could spread her wings.

What do you mean with "she could spread her wings"? If there is any consort held very short and controlled by the Court, then it is Doña Letizia. Sometimes she looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights, terrified to make a mistake.
 
What do you mean with "she could spread her wings"? If there is any consort held very short and controlled by the Court, then it is Doña Letizia. Sometimes she looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights, terrified to make a mistake.

That's the point. When she still was a princess she was very much more controlled by the court. I guess that after many years spent by being observed and held short she still has the habit of looking afraid of making mistakes. But one can see that now she looks like a heavy weight has been taken off her shoulders.
 
Future of the Spanish Monarchy

I agree with your assessment. And it is indeed important for all our esteemed fellow-contributors at the Royal Forums to realize that personal popularity is not the same as being in favour of the monarchy.

It is very well possible that most Catalans actually do like Don Felipe but simply favour a republic. So polls with "popularity" of Doña Letizia, the King, etc. do not really give an indication about the fundaments of the monarchy.

That counts for all monarchies anyway. I can see the Dutch or the Swedes going to a republic, despite Máxima's or Victoria's popularity. Popularity comes in on a snail but leaves on horseback.


I agree. In Sweden Victoria is tremendously popular and very well respected even by proclaimed republicans. They'd even welcome her as president if she ran for office. It's the monarchy they're against not the Crown princess herself.


Sent from my iPhone using The Royals Community mobile app
 
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In my humble opinion the people of Spain have difficulties seeing Doña Letizia as the Queen indeed because they have known her for years and years, coming evening after evening in their living rooms, presenting the news.

This is not true. Spaniards have not known her for years, I have friends in Spain who didnt know at all who she was when the announcement came. She was a field reporter and only had done the co-anchor of the evening news for six weeks (there are rumours that Felipe had his hand in Letizia getting the evening news job in order to make her face known across Spain but that is a different topic). Letizia did have a good career ahead of her but she was by no means a journalist on top of her profession over years.

People didn't warm to her in the beginning because she came across as business-like, speaking of her royal life as a 'project', telling Felipe off etc, she had the image of an ambitious social climber who thought who'd found a good opportunity to lift her virtues from spanish television to global stage a la Rania, she was heavily criticized for everything with the result that we see her today supercontrolled going through the motions.
 
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