General News & Information on the Spanish RF


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
rchainho said:
I do not know the reason why the name of the father is more important because they do not place it in the end as in Portugal and other countries.For the logic, if the name of the mother is the last one will be this, the name to be
sharp. Also already I know that the name of the mother, in Spain, is
forgotten (Example: Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano). Rocasolano is forgotten to all media and spanish people.

Well, I have to say that I'm not very sure, but I think that now you can choose the order of your surnames, so the parents can put the surname of the mother first. For example, if I would have a baby and my surname would be "López" and the surname of the baby's father would be "Puig", I would be able to name my child "Puig López" or "López Puig"

As this is a recent law in Spain, those who were born some time ago can change the order of their surnames now.

Another possibility is to make a mix between your father's surname and your mother's surname and have a combined surname. For example, López-Puig is a combined sur name. With this possibility, your mother's surname wouldn't disappear in next generations.

I hope that, even with my poor English, you all can understand this mix-up without racking your brains. :D
 
Protocol

Some time ago (on the occasion of the Princes' trip to Panama), I was reading an article published in epasa.com, which was written by an expert on protocol, whose name I can't remember anymore.
Anyway, according to him, when one meets the Princes of Asturias, we can greet them simply saying "encantado/a de conocerlo/a" (i.e. "nice to meet you"), while shaking their hands, but being careful enough so not to touch their forearms (I wonder very much why on hearth would someone touch forearms when shaking their hands, but never mind!…).
Another tip given by this expert (a quite obvious one, by the way...) was that you can never, ever slap them on their back (...I'm now just imagining someone embracing the Prince in a huge bear hug, during an official act: HEY JUDE!!!... :D) and you must also let them take the initiative, if they want to greet you with a kiss.
Your greetings can also be accompanied by a slight inclination of your head, but only the Spanish women are allowed to curtsey, and only the Spanish men are allowed to hand-kiss the Princess (however, you must do that only if you know how to do it properly…
biggrin.gif
). Besides, Prince Felipe greets every lady with a hand-kiss.;)

Now, I wonder how it is, regarding the king and queen. If I was to meet KJC or QS, what should I do then?... I suppose protocol would also say I shouldn't courtesey them, right?
 
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The ID cards of the Spanish royals

I saw today in the programm "SABER Y GANAR" that the spanish royal family has a specific number in their Identity Card from 10 to 99 (DNI in spanish and BI in Portugal).

For example:
The king ID nr is 10
The Queen ID nr is 11
Elena ID nr is 12
Cristina ID nr is 14
Felipe ID nr is 15.

Do you know Letizia's ID nr?

http://www.elmundo.es/cronica/2004/438/1078755910.html
 
I tried translating the website article into english without much success.

If anyone can help I don't know what an 'identity card' means, what importance does it have in Spain?
 
Layla1971 said:
I tried translating the website article into english without much success.

If anyone can help I don't know what an 'identity card' means, what importance does it have in Spain?

The national Document of identity is a number that there have all the Spanish citizens (normally from the adult age) to identify. It is a card with your name and personal information (date of birth,address, etc ...) and the number that assigns you. It is necessary for many things, for all kinds of official documents, or for example, is what it allows you to travel for countries of the European Union without need of the passport.
 
But you don't have this document? The English don't have it. In Portugal is the same as Spain but we called it "Bilhete de Identidade". The translation of the web.

60 YEARS OF IDENTITY MEMBERSHIP CARD

DNI: Franco has the 1; the King, the 10 FRANCo reserved number one. To the Royal Family it was assigned from the 10 to the 99. The 13 it was annulled by pure superstition and for that reason to Prince Felipe it corresponded the 15 to him. The identity membership card, that has turned this week 60 years from its creation in March of 1944, hoards a history filled with curiosities
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JAVIER HORSEMAN. DANIEL IZEDDIN

Historical document
It takes enrolled the most intimate secret of folkloric and famous. Informer for looked for by Justice and the impossible challenge into the hands of falsifiers, travels in the portfolio of almost 30 million Spaniards. Also in the one of His Majesty the King, whose excelso lineage does not exempt to him of its possession. In fact, Don Juan Carlos I shows number 10. It could have the one, but that number was reserved for the then head of the State, Frank Francisco Bahamonde, as it illustrates the document to which it has had access CRONICA in exclusive right.


The DNI, the membership card of identity, papela that would say chelis, have turned this week 60 years and commemorate that distant decree of 2 of March of 1944 that illuminated its birth. Today since then he has been reflected of the social and political evolution of España.Nadie like him to show us to the iron control of the dictatorship, to airs of freedom of the transition, to the democratic normalization and that technological revolution that young person maintains to him and on approval of falsifiers. On the contrary that his possessor, the DNI does not age. He has renewed his clothes periodically. But until arriving at its flaming design that will be released in 2005, - which it includes chip and thousand shields -, the identity membership card as an older person seals types typewriter and red Chinese, its own intrahistory.

Their direct ancestors are born with the discovery of América.Muchos of the Spanish sailors who went and came from the Indians carried the call composition certificate, official document that gave faith of the identity of nauta. In the days of a incipiente ultramarine commerce, the Administration noticed itself of the obligation to know who was who. During centuries, the method with great difficulty worked in the middle of fiddles, componendas and chaos administrativo.No was until century XIX when the subject of the identity would take naturalization paper. In 1824, Fernando VII created the Police in our country and he granted the exclusive power to him to create registers that included age, sex, state, profession, and nature of the vecindario. "This one was his first attribution, competition that has stayed until the present time and that there is tie historically to the National Body of Police with the identity membership card", comments Jose Santiago Sanchez, commissioner commander of the Unit of Documentation of Spaniards of the National Police and maximum person in charge of the framework of the DNI.

After the regal order, the presses began to make identity cards and letters of security, direct antecedents of the DNI."Eran documents without much direct ascending identificativo value where name was included and. The majority went without photography and caused the picaresque one ", remarca Sanchez. "These certificates were issued by city councils and delegations for all those that made managements with official organisms", add the commissioner.

The decline of these certificates happened after the Civil War, fight that left a nation without name nor last names. The creation became necessary of a new document that started up through a decree in 1944. The reason? Fundamentally, the control, to have more and better controlled the Spaniards. The initiative left from Presidency of the Government, that is, of very same general Franco, in spite of which it had to hope until 1951 to release his own membership card of identity.

First forced to formalize it they were the prisoners and those that remained in parole. Secondly, the masculine personnel who by its profession or business changed with address assiduity. Thirdly, the resident men in cities of more than 100,000 inhabitants. Soon, the men in localities between 25,000 and 100,000 inhabitants, later the women who traveled by reasons for work and so on until completing with the years the set of the society.

The worse thing of this initiative was not in the machismo or the sexism, but that the membership card included a square to classify to the citizen according to economic his estatus. Those of first category were great potentados and the rural caciques. Those of second and third hoarded, gradually, less of great volume and possessions modestas.Por last, those of fourth were grouped in the poor calls "of solemnity", so miserable people that she was ruined to pay the rates of the DNI. One was not remote feudales eras. This pyramid stratified socially to Spain until year 1981.

Zaragoza was the first capital of province where the DNI was sent. One capital neither too populated nor excessively small turned out perfect to present the citizens its new identity. Everything worked without greater frights and the test extended later to Valencia. From the capital of the Turia, the method propagated to the rest of the large cities to completing 59 distributed stationary equipment in all the cities except Navarre.

Prior to its arrival, this traveling equipment decided with the mayor a particular previous appointment. Agreed to the day, a side communicated to the countrymen the arrival of the DNI insisting to take with himself any type to them of document sent by the Delegation or the City council, as well as a photography reciente.Algunos village not even counted on papers that authenticated their roots. Then as much the regidor, as the priest or the secretary of the villa presented faith of the identity of the subject to him all the life.

By surprising that seems nowadays, until 1962 also the DNI to all the resident foreigners in Spain was granted. As of this date, and by Real Decree 357 with date 22 of February, the DNI was exclusive for Spaniards.

DANCE OF I NUMBER

From a principle, and with a still effective method, the numbers of the DNI were assigned by lots to the expedition equipment. Thus, each police station or movable equipment who transacts the DNI, counts on a sufficient margin of free numbers. If it exhausts that fitted, a new lot, not necessarily corelative to anterior.Se is granted to him exiles therefore a false belief. The short numbers of the DNI did not correspond in the past to people who already are fallecido.Nadie shows "the number of a dead" as she affirms unfounded in bar conversations. The Unit of Documentation of Spaniards of the Police has mattress sufficient not to resort to that technique. In 54 years, 60 million membership cards have been sent about and still there are other 40 free million until the number of 99,999,999 sent membership cards is reached. No fario.Cada is reason for badly the españolito one releases number and it is not necessary to revive the figure of anybody. Because the number of the DNI is perpetual by reasons legales.Además is personal and intransferible. Be enough with thinking about transmissions of goods, testaments, bank loans and suplantaciones of personality. In people who die and return from the other world by the grace to have the same number of the membership card. "the DNI is like the Valiant Cid. It continues winning battles after dead ", indicates between smiles the commissioner head Jose Santiago Sanchez.

So and as they say old books of first inscription, - jealously guarded by the Police -, the numeration assigns by provinces and equipment. The police station of Santa Engracia in Madrid had the privilege to transact the first membership cards. Throwing a look to the first volume of registry, patent has left the cult to the personality of the Generalissimo. Number one adjudged for himself Frank Francisco to it Bahamonde. Question of gallons. The second took the name of its woman, Carmen Polo and Martinez Valdés. For its Frank Carmen daughter Pole went to stop number three. Of the quarter to ninth they have been vacant. Of the 10 in ahead and until number 99, they were blocked for the Spanish Royal Family. Number 10 was assigned to His Majesty the King, the 11 for Doña Sofía of Greece, the 12 for Infant Elena and the 14 for Infant Cristina.La superstition left the square of the 13 empty. The DNI of Their Height Real Prince Felipe shines the number 15, or pretty girl, an unexpected wink of the destiny now that sounds bells of real wedding. It is logical to think that small the Felipe Juan Froilán, Federica Victory, Juan Valentin, Pablo Nicholas and Miguel, - last grandson of the monarchs until the moment -, happens to their uncle the Prince in the correlation of numbers.

Democratic like few documents, the DNI does not know of monarchies nor rancid ancestries. By virtue of a 1985 decree, no longer the nobiliarios titles register that end at interminable last names. Therefore, they were avoided so much the clasismo, as a leafy genealogical tree that did not fit in the squares nor with most imaginative of the abbreviations. Kill not long time and in the occasion of the update of his DNI, Luis Alfonso de Borbón, son of the spoiled Duke of Cadiz, had to stop to continue shining the nobility of his origin in the membership card.
 
Layla1971 said:
If anyone can help I don't know what an 'identity card' means, what importance does it have in Spain?
I believe you don't have it in Australia; the closest equivalent you have is the passport. The identity card is the most important document we have, registering our name, date and place of birth, parents, sex, marital status, stature (high), photo, fingertips, signature, together with other informations (like criminal record, etc.). The nr. of that card is what identifies you in pratically everything... similarly to what happens with your passport number, I believe (in Spain, like in Portugal, not everyone has passport, since we only need one, if we're going to travel outside the European Union).
 
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That sounds alot like the equivalent to the Social Security card here in the USA.
 
Thanks alot lula, rchainho (BTW, thanks for such a quick translation) and Elsa M for all your information, it helps alot.

I think it is like our passport here but if we don't want to travel overseas we don't need a passport.

Even if we want to travel to countries within the commonwealth we do need a passport though.

We don't have any one form of official identification in Australia but there is a proposal for a law to have an official identity card for security purposes.

Most people consider this card would be an invasion of privacy, that it would make fraud and identity theft easier but I suppose other countries with these cards would know more about that than we do.
 
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i have an english friend and he says that english people don't want an ID Card because it has a pic of the person that use those card, like we have in our ID Card (BI i Portugal). I laught a lot with that situation until now. :D
 
I believe since King Juan Carlos decided not to have a royal court upon his enthronment, the Spanish nobility has become less and less important.

Grandees, Dukes and Counts may have been important in the past due to their proximity to the King, but nowadays they have very little, if any, contact with the Spanish Royal House.
 
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Wedding rings on right hand

After looking at pictures of the women in the royal family i've notice that instead of wearing their wedding ring on the left hand they wear it on the right. Does anyone know why this is?
 
Many european countries wear the ring on the right hand Leonie. However, in certain regions of Spain, Catalonia for example, people tend to wear the wedding ring on the left hand.
 
I once read that the reason people wear it on the left is because their is a vain that leads to the heart :flowers:
 
Yes, or becouse it's simple if they're right-handed.
 
Rome & Constantinople-twin cities

The Byzantines wore their rings on the right because Christs sits to the right of God according to their doctrine. Those who believe through Rome acknowledge the filioque creed and that says that the Holy Spirit may proceed from the saints as well who stand to the left of God. So they wear theirs on the left. The Orthodox cross themselves to the forehead and then to the right shoulder and the Catholics to the forehead and the left shoulder... So it is rooted in these twin cities Rome and Constantinople.
Subject to each's interpretation but I think this is the histrorically correct reason for ring designation.
 
most people in spain wear their ring on the right. Most in catalunya y pais vasco (basque) sometimes wear them on the left.
 
I didn't know that there was a certain hand you had to wear your wedding ring on!
 
thanks for the answers everyone


...sOfIa.... said:
Many european countries wear the ring on the right hand Leonie. However, in certain regions of Spain, Catalonia for example, people tend to wear the wedding ring on the left hand.

That's the first i myself have actually heard that, everyone here in the UK it is the left hand its put on so i didn't know. I only noticed it when i was looking at pictures of the princesses of spain.
I always thought it was the left hand for both engagement and wedding rings but noticed letizia had her engagement ring on the left hand wedding ring on the right.
 
Letizia wears hers on the right hand. Felipe used to do the same, but at the beginning of 2005 (?) he broke his right hand and had to change for the left one to wear the ring and continues this way till today.
 
I always thought you wear an engagement ring on the left hand, and a wedding ring on the right, but I guess I was wrong...
 
lilytornado said:
I always thought you wear an engagement ring on the left hand, and a wedding ring on the right, but I guess I was wrong...
My friend before wedding wore her engagement ring on left hand. Many women which I know wear their engagement rings and wedding bands on the same finger - usually on right hand.
 
Most people I know here wear their engagement ring and wedding band on the left hand.

However there have been a couple of married women lately, here in America, that wear their wedding band on their left hand and their engagement ring on the right.
 
Spanish Royals: what is happening?

I am wondering what is happening with the Spanish Royal Family...
They don't attend any Royal Party, they didn't invite almost anyone from the current royal families to any of the recent spanish Christenings... we never see them get along with any other royal...
Why did they invite all those doctors to Sofia's Christening? Don't they have friends? :ermm:
 
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia attended last year at the 60-year birthday party of King Carl Gustaf of Sweden (they attended only the private party at the first day). If I remember correct, they participated also this February the the 70-year-party of King Harald of Norway (they were only on a private occasion). Infanta Christina and the Duke of Palma were also at King Harald´s birthday party. Last year the Kings made a state visit to Norway. The Princes of Asturias and the Dukes of Lugo were at the Silver Wedding party in Luxemburg last year. The Princes of Asturias met the Swedish Royal Family in Stockholm in April 2005.
Because of the uncertain situation in Spain, I think that the SRF don´t want to do too many tiara-events, at least not in abroad.
 
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Why did they invite all those doctors to Sofia's Christening? Don't they have friends? :ermm:

To thank them for taking care of Letizia during her pregnancy and also during Sofia's birth. A very nice and thoughtful gesture on the princes' part, imo.
 
What is the uncertain situation in Spain?
 
The baptisms of the Spanish Royal Family always have been private and familiar baptisms. In no of the baptisms of the 8 grandchildren of the Kings it has been invited to royal members of other house. Of the same form, the Spanish Real House, doesn´t make great celebrations for birthday or for anniversaries.
 
I meant with the uncertain situation the bombings in Spain and the actions of organisation ETA.
 
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