The Royal Family of Spain Current Events: Part XIX, December 2007-April 2008

[acdc1]

Originally Posted by lula

More photos of today, 5th January in Baqueira

http://i6.tinypic.com/7ye8sna.jpg
http://i9.tinypic.com/7x0fdxt.jpg
http://i11.tinypic.com/6tc1iiq.jpg
http://i14.tinypic.com/871ul2x.jpg
http://i14.tinypic.com/6nqaskg.jpg

http://i1.tinypic.com/8685phi.jpg
http://i9.tinypic.com/6odd4yo.jpg
http://i1.tinypic.com/6wm3lzr.jpg
http://i13.tinypic.com/6jow7e0.jpg
http://i19.tinypic.com/6kgwj0m.jpg

So cute pictures! Which one of the boys is kissing Irene?

[lula]

Originally Posted by acdc1

So cute pictures! Which one of the boys is kissing Irene?

She is Victoria.

[acdc1]

Oops. That's embarrassing! Well, she was pretty bundled up, so it was hard to tell. Seems like Victoria has a soft spot for both Irene and Leonor!

[crisiñaki]

I just wanna hug and kiss Irene as well, such a beautiful girl but with a lot of balls
She wants to ski NOW and her mom is like: soon my dear, soon, you're still too little
I have the feeling we will see Irene snowboarding in a couple of years

[BeautyLeonor]

Originally Posted by lula

More photos of today, 5th January in Baqueira

http://i6.tinypic.com/7ye8sna.jpg
http://i9.tinypic.com/7x0fdxt.jpg
http://i11.tinypic.com/6tc1iiq.jpg
http://i14.tinypic.com/871ul2x.jpg
http://i14.tinypic.com/6nqaskg.jpg

http://i1.tinypic.com/8685phi.jpg
http://i9.tinypic.com/6odd4yo.jpg
http://i1.tinypic.com/6wm3lzr.jpg
http://i13.tinypic.com/6jow7e0.jpg
http://i19.tinypic.com/6kgwj0m.jpg

I don't believe that the photos are of today, I think the infantas wanted be with their dad in his 70 birthday, maybe the pics were taken yesterday.

Anyway, the photos are really cute
__________________
" *Love Is Like A Rose In Winter,Only The Strong Survives* My Favorite Rose: Felipe & Letizia"

[lula]

Originally Posted by BeautyLeonor

I don't believe that the photos are of today, I think the infantas wanted be with their dad in his 70 birthday, maybe the pics were taken yesterday.

Anyway, the photos are really cute

The yesterday photos are those of the Infanta Elena previous, these photos have date of today and have been placed in the web today.

Maybe they have returned to Madrid in the evening. There is a clear information to know if the Infantas are in Baqueira or in Madrid, expect and to see if there are photos or not of the parade of the Three Wise Men in Baqueira.

[lula]

It was something that was afraid of me, but that has not stopped surprising me .... finally the Infantas have decided to continue skiing instead of being in the birthday of their father. It is true that to the King has never liked to celebrate specially his birthdays and that there will be an official celebration on Wednesday, but bearing in mind the expectation before this 70 birthday they all should have done a minimal effort.

The traditional parade of the King Magicians of the Orient in the ski resort Baqueira Beret

PPE Agency

Duke and Duchess of Palma and Duchess of Lugo go to the procession of the Three Wise Men in Baqueira

POLFOTO - altid med i billedet

[Duke of Marmalade]

It does sound odd lula but who knows how the members of this family actually deal with each other ... they might have developped "not so normal" habits since they are not normal and JC does not strike me as a family man in the intimate sense at all, in general. I guess it was his wish and his family, at least his wife and children, know him well enough and probably did not expect anything else.

[lula]

Duke, seems that to the King it has never liked to celebrate very much his birthday, in spite of it, and though for my, this was predictable, does not stop looking like to me a great mistake.

Mistake on the part of the King, the Infantas and of the people who is employed at the House of the King. They are a Royal Family, and have to give image of such. If the King did not want a great familiar celebration, so necessarily to do it, nobody is going to know it.

But what they do not make sense is that the press goes several weeks celebrating 70 birthdays of the King, which on Wednesday there is an official dinner in El Pardo with all the authorities of the democracy ... and the day that the King blows of the candles, according to the same one recognized yesterday, his daughters are not.

The image that they transmit is not very good. In spite of the fact that yesterday, the King was appearing happier and relaxed of what has appeared in a lot of time.

[Duke of Marmalade]

I understand your point lula and I believe too that it does look odd. The SRF do almost everything for image reasons, as many other RFs, therefore they could have avoided the public proof that there was no family gathering as one would expect. Maybe they did not bother this time as it's completely private or the King insisted that his daughters (especially Elena & children) have some more care-free days together ... there are a million possible reasons. At least Letizia was in Madrid and not out skiing otherwise Penafiel would have had a good topic for his next column

[lula]

Duke, they has done it many years and it has not had importance ... but this year all, they should do an effort, though to the King does not like to celebrate his birthday and though the Infantas are better of vacations.

There are times that it is necessary to pass for it, and I believe that this time, with the whole press of the country overturned in 70 birthdays of the King, with what it has happened in the last months and with the exceptional Wednesday celebration .... it was necessary to do this effort.

I believe that fundamentally it is a mistake for the image of the Royal Family. Between other things because the King was commenting yesterday that he was blowing of the candles and that he received congratulations and gifts. Yesterday the King was relaxed and happily... I do not remember to see him like that months ago.

Though on Wednesday they all will go to the official act, this image is going to lose any aptitude to transmit some message.

On your commentary, if the Princess had done it, there would no be today journalist who was not criticizing her, and already they would have accused her of having bad relation with the King, with the Infantas, of wanting to separate to the family, of not being a good Princess....

[Duke of Marmalade]

hmmm ... the King will know why since he is in charge of everything, isn't he. Doesn't mean he can be wrong in terms of evaluating the media reaction or public opinion on something.

I guess somehow he had to do something on the occasion of his birthday. The gathering on Weds seems to be very political and a welcome opportunity to deepen the relations between monarchy & government. Too bad there is no occasion for the spanish people to honour their King (he could have appeared in public, attending a concert etc). Doesn't have to be lavish but I am missing a bit the emotional part.

[lula]

To the King has never liked to celebrate his birthday (really always he has celebrated of official form the Day of Saint), years ago was habitual that there was a concert, which though the Queen was charmed with it, to the King was boring ... let's say that they accept the boast to the institution, but always they have removed a bit from this praise to the person. The journalists who report habitually of the Royal House have commented that they have had to press the King a bit for the Wednesday act. In his 60 birthday he visited the military, and there was a photographic session with the family, which this time has not exist.

In my opinion, the things have changed in the last years in Spain, not only regarding the Royal Family, but in many other areas. In the topic of the press, before there was a relation of respect between press and Wreath, besides it, the Royal Family was not excessively interesting for certain type of press ... normally only was interested the Prince and his girlfriends. For a few years a certain type of journalism has done to itself loudly, a journalism at which everything is useful and good, and that does not stand out for respect. In this process come the Princess of Asturias, the wedding, the girls ... and the press found a gold vein.

It did not do, that from the House of the King, changes were done, and finally the inevitable thing happened, these changes came also to the King ... but I believe that not even the King has adapted to them, not even his counselors have could guide him well. And while they do not find a new way of facing this situation, they will have a problem.

[Duke of Marmalade]

Originally Posted by lula

To the King has never liked to celebrate his birthday (really always he has celebrated of official form the Day of Saint), years ago was habitual that there was a concert, which though the Queen was charmed with it, to the King was boring ... let's say that they accept the boast to the institution, but always they have removed a bit from this praise to the person. The journalists who report habitually of the Royal House have commented that they have had to press the King a bit for the Wednesday act. In his 60 birthday he visited the military, and there was a photographic session with the family, which this time has not exist.

In my opinion, the things have changed in the last years in Spain, not only regarding the Royal Family, but in many other areas. In the topic of the press, before there was a relation of respect between press and Wreath, besides it, the Royal Family was not excessively interesting for certain type of press ... normally only was interested the Prince and his girlfriends. For a few years a certain type of journalism has done to itself loudly, a journalism at which everything is useful and good, and that does not stand out for respect. In this process come the Princess of Asturias, the wedding, the girls ... and the press found a gold vein.

It did not do, that from the House of the King, changes were done, and finally the inevitable thing happened, these changes came also to the King ... but I believe that not even the King has adapted to them, not even his counselors have could guide him well. And while they do not find a new way of facing this situation, they will have a problem.

Many thanks for your view lula. I agree, especially on the last part. The older you get the more you will stick to the way you have always handled your stuff in the past because most times it has been proven successful. The problem these days is that any monarchy has to adapt to changes to a certain degree because the public does - you can't ignore but need to react quickly since the speed of change is fast. It's obvious that this is a huge challenge for Juan Carlos - I don't think Zarzuela has coped well at least since the arrival of the Princess and upcoming media interest. The difficult position of the monarchy in Spain does not help either. It must be very hard for Felipe, he will be 40 this month. I wish JC well but the older he gets the tougher it will become for his son, the CP in waiting who has been groomed all his life for the crown. Felipe will have his own ideas but must keep quiet, act according to his father's decisions and do the second class acts (ok some might be important but there is only one top job) until he finally can take over - and whether he'll be successful or not, nobody knows yet.

[lula]

This it has been a debate that has appeared enough these days in the press, coinciding with both birthdays. Though they all coincide with that this one is not the moment to abdicate, and they coincide with that the Prince have increasingly responsibilities .... also they coincide with that his labor and his capacity is little known.

I believe that this opinion, of a political serious enough journalist it summarizes the idea.

Diariocrítico - Opinión Cumpleaños…¿feliz?

The King has piloted well, with all the critiques want to be done to punctual aspects of his path, the ship. He has could remove correctly with the leaders of shift, has played the moderating role between the territories of the State even beyond when some of them have wanted to allow it to him and, when it has been indispensable, has not hesitated to acquire the protagonism that the situation was needing. It cannot be asked much any more a chief of the State which functions are limited by the Constitution.

I remain, with everything, with the sensation that we enter a new stage, in that the Prince will have to go acquiring gradually a more important role and, in any case, beyond what supposes the mere representation of the royal family when and where touches him. There are great the monarchies that have not could channel sufficiently the functions corresponding to the inheritor, often through the fault of the own inheritor. It is not the case of Don Felipe, whose qualities estimate those who know them. The Spanish Wreath, for so many reasons so lucky, needs now doses renewed of audacity, imagination and generosity.

[crm2317]

Inaki sure knows how to juggle the children!
Are those bodyguards who are carrying Victoria Federica and Felipe Juan Froilan? Also there is a young girl in a cream/white puff coat with her hand on Inaki's shoulder. Is she with the group? She resembles the little girl who accompanied the family to easter mass last year

[crisiñaki]

I think JC told his daughters to stay till the 9 in Baqueira, where the true celebration will be

[lula]

Crm, Froilan is with Pedro, the husband of Cristina de Borbón - Dos Sicilias.

Crisiñaki, the children begin the school tomorrow, for what it surprises me moreover what has happened. This is to me a not intelligent attitude for the image of the Royal Family , and it provokes doubts, because I see a family photo very difficult, unless the children lose school. In 60 birthday of the King there was session of photos, this year nor one official photo.

[acdc1]

In one of the Polfoto pics, you can see Pablo's face, and he's got the worst look on his face! I can't tell if it's sadness or rage, or just a bad shot that the cameras got.

Who is the little girl in the Ralph Lauren jacket? Someone mentioned her earlier, I can't tell either if she seems to be "with them" or if she's just there as a spectator.

[emilieweber2004]

glad to see them all!