King Felipe has taken a further step in cleaning up the tarnished image of the country’s monarchy by allowing the royal account books to be audited by an external government agency.
The king made the announcement on Monday as part of a broader set of measures aimed at improving how the Royal House operates.
From 2015, Spain's public service auditors will, for the first time, go through the royal accounts with a fine tooth comb, Spain's ABC newspaper reported.
Monday's announced changes also include a code of conduct for royal staff, and closer oversight of gifts received by the royal family.
Critically, the reforms will also prohibit members of the royal family — King Felipe, Queen Letizia, their daughters Leonor and Sofia, and former King Juan Carlos and his wife Sofia —from working for private companies. Such a move should mean that Spain's royal family does not again find itself embroiled in the type of scandal affecting Felipe's sister Cristina.
Spain's new king has also said the king's household will in future have its own specially dedicated legal team.
Spain’s new king opens royal account books - The Local