Royal Staff and Household of The King of Spain

[lula]

King Felipe has placed in positions of trust people who were already part of his team. He also maintains several people who was part of the team of King Juan Carlos. The only new addition is the press officer, who until 2007 had worked in the palace press department and working primarily with the prince.

New positions and appointments

Mr. Jaime Alfonsín Alfonso - Head of the Royal Household of His Majesty The King

Mr. Domingo Martínez Palomo - Secretary-General

Mr. José Manuel Zuleta y Alejandro -Head of the Secretariat of Her Majesty The Queen

Mr. Alfonso Sanz Portolés - Diplomatic Councellor and Chief of the Secretariat of H.M. King Juan Carlos

Mr. Emilio Tomé de la Vega - Head of the Planning and Coordination Office

Mr. Jordi Gutiérrez Roldán - Head of Communication

Casa de Su Majestad el Rey de España - Área de Prensa

Casa de Su Majestad el Rey de España - Área de Prensa

[Rhys]

Renovation but not so much...

Realy is a mix of new men from the Prince Felipe previous staff (Alfonsín, Zuleta y Alejandro and Tomé de la Vega), two old KJC staff changing posts (Sanz Portolés and Martinez Palomo) and a old 'Zarzuela Palace' hand (Gutiérrez Roldán) recovered from working in the private practice...

So no revolutionary changes or sudden influx of new blood to Zarzuela...

Here a list with a few points about them...

· The new Head of the Royal Household of His Majesty The King... Mr. Jaime Alfonsín Alfonso. Civilian and a lawyer by formation, also the younguest ever Director-General of the State Administration (he was D-G of Cooperation with the Autonomous Administrations at the Ministry of Territorial Administration when he was 26), he has been the Secretary of the Prince the last two decades...

· The new Secretary-General of the Royal Household of His Majesty The King... S.E. Don Domingo Martínez Palomo. A military, he was the previous Head of the Planning and Coordination Office (1996-2014), recently promoted to Major General of the Guardia Civil.

· The new Head of the Secretariat of Her Majesty The Queen... S.E. the Duke of Abrantes* Grandee of Spain, Don José Manuel Zuleta y Alejandro. A military, Cavalry Colonel, he was until now one of military aide-de-camp of the HRH the Prince of Asturias.

· The new apointed Diplomatic Councellor and also the new Chief of the Secretariat of H.M. King Juan Carlos... Mr. Alfonso Sanz Portolés. Civilian and a Diplomat with heavy experience on foreign relations, an old hand of KJC he was the previous Secretary-General of the Royal Househouse of His Majesty The King.

· The New Head of the Planning and Coordination Office... S.E. Don Emilio Tomé de la Vega. A military, Brigade General (R) of the Army, he was the previous Deputy Head of the Secretariat of HRH the Prince of Asturias (2003-2014).

· The new Head of Communication ... Mr. Jordi Gutiérrez Roldán. Civilian journalist and another old hand of KJC, he was previously Deputy-Head of Comunications & Media Affairs (1993-2009). He came now from private practice...


Remain in their posts for now:

· The Head of the Military Chamber of the Royal Household of H.M. The King... S.E. Don Antonio de la Corte García. Lt. General of the Army.

· The Head of the Security Service... Mr. Francisco López Requena. Colonel of the Guardia Civil.

· The Head of Protocol at the General Secretariat of the Royal Household of His Majesty The King... Mr. Cándido Creis Estrada. Civilian and a career Diplomat.

· The Chief of the Administration, Infrastructure and Services Unit of the General Secretariat of the Royal Household of His Majesty the King... Mr. Isaías Peral Puebla. Signals Colonel of the Army.

· The Comptroller... MR. Orcar Moreno Gil . Civilian, State Comptroller with a PhD in Law.



* Duke of Abrantes (GoS), Marquis of Duero (GoS), of Sardoal, and of Valdefuentes; Count of Belalcázar, of Cancelada, and Lences (GoS).

[lula]

They need time, the whole process of abdication was very fast, and now they have a busy agenda ... they do not want to experiment, they need people who know what they do. They can not change in a week what has been the Royal House in 40 years.

[Rhys]

Logical, but one or two new appointments, especially in the department of communication, could not have gone amiss with the Spanish Media...

You know. Retrieve an 'old buddy' of KJC, to take the place of Ayuso, knowing as the spanish media and newssies are... All with the NOOS case in the foreground and the need to show "a new generation/new way" in Palace, in the other hand...

But you know, the most curious and intelligent apointment, from a purely domestic political point of view, IMHO is Zuleta... Who better to back the new 'commoner' Queen before any spanish aristocrat with "issues" with H.M. pedigree than one of their own 'Heavyweights', a Duke with three Grandee of Spain...

[Al_bina]

Originally Posted by Rhys

... [snipped]

But you know, the most curious and intelligent apointment, from a purely domestic political point of view, IMHO is Zuleta... Who better to back the new 'commoner' Queen before any spanish aristocrat with "issues" with H.M. pedigree than one of their own 'Heavyweights', a Duke with three Grandee of Spain...

I am surprised to learn that the new Queen needs a backing from a true aristocrat. She is said to be a super intellectual woman, who can do everything on her own. Perhaps a common PR manager/firm would have done a better job selling a new Queen to the public.

[Rhys]

Is not the public, Al_bina. H.M. Letizia not need any help there.

But the nobility, or at least some part of them, are known to have issues with H.M. background (commoner, divorced, journalist, from republican family with very vocal political preferences, very active sindicalist mother, etc, etc...). Is the XXI century, but you know, some people think that they are still living centuries ago in the ages of privileges, birthrights, and the right and wrong class of people to be married, related or do some socializing.

So, in that front... Have a "heavy" like Zuleta in her own staff to do some spadework sotto-voce in the right circles and have his personal and family contacts to learn, prevent or mitigate issues born or festering in that circles to grow enough to be damaging in the media or spill anything nasty to the spanish society... may be invaluable. IMHO of course...

[Al_bina]

Sucking up to the aristocrats? Who is going to create cheap dramas? Why does King Felipe and his wife need a "heavy" like Zuleta to smooth the things? I thought Spaniards were ready for the new King to clean the house. It is surprising that there is no a plebeian PR agency to address possible problems.
Hopefully Mr Zuleta is ready to face negativity if the campaign to sell a re-minted image of the current Queen fails.

[Rhys]

No, no, no... no you don't understand me. And is not the place of Zuleta sell anything to anyone.

P.R. for the spanish people will be managed by the Department of Communication and Media so will be a issue for the team of Gutiérrez Roldán with supervision of Alfonsin & Co. Like before was with Ayuso and Spottorno. Nothing to do with Zuleta.

IMHO, one of the sources of problems to H.M. in the Media and society is, has been and will be the sector of the Nobility that from day one went against H.M. vocally and not so vocally... Is there, where Zuleta could be very useful in adittion to his different responsabilities and attributions as Head of the Secretariat of Her Majesty The Queen. He is an insider in some circles with many hostiles to the new Queen, if you can't see any benefit to have eyes and ears and a powerfull supporter, rally point and voice or reason in the Queen (and King) side on that circles... Man, I don't know what more say...

To be alerted and may be able to anticipate, prevent or mitigate, if is at all posible, the spreading of malicious rumors, fictional stories, or direct slander to the media especialy in delicate moments to the Royal Family like has happen in the past... Any gains in the 'Damage Control' margin should be wellcome I think. And all of that is IMHO a good thing to the SRF, and is a plus gained with the apointment of Zuleta instead a different dude.

[lula]

Usually in the House of the King, the head of department has dealt with the King and the assistant with the Prince.

Jose Manuel Zuleta is a military man, of a noble family. His brother is also military and equestrian assistant of infanta Elena. For years he was assistant in the department of protocol, and in 2007 he became part of the secretariat of the prince, with the main task of accompanying Letizia. Maybe when they decided to give him this role, being a noble, military and protocol expert, was a way of trying to control Letizia. But apparently, and so you can see when they work together, their relationship is pretty good. It is clear that after 7 years of working together, she has full confidence in him.

Jordi Gutiérrez was assistant in the department of press until 2009, appreciated by the media, he was the leading candidate even for them. He worked with two press heads, and as assistant he worked with the prince, and then also with Letizia, he was one of the main responsible of dealing with the press during the royal wedding.

When in 2009 his boss left his job, the press was convinced that he would take his place. But King Juan Carlos decided to choose someone from outside, leading his own team and Jordi Gutiérrez left Zarzuela. The rumor then was that just his good relationship with Asturias, is what sent him at the end, outside Zarzuela. His good relationship with them continued, and he is an adviser to the Prince of Girona Foundation.

[An Ard Ri]

Hola

Jaime Alfonsín sustituye a Rafael Spottorno como jefe de la Casa del Rey

[Al_bina]

Originally Posted by Rhys

No, no, no... no you don't understand me. And is not the place of Zuleta sell anything to anyone.

P.R. for the spanish people will be managed by the Department of Communication and Media so will be a issue for the team of Gutiérrez Roldán with supervision of Alfonsin & Co. Like before was with Ayuso and Spottorno. Nothing to do with Zuleta.

IMHO, one of the sources of problems to H.M. in the Media and society is, has been and will be the sector of the Nobility that from day one went against H.M. vocally and not so vocally... Is there, where Zuleta could be very useful in adittion to his different responsabilities and attributions as Head of the Secretariat of Her Majesty The Queen. He is an insider in some circles with many hostiles to the new Queen, if you can't see any benefit to have eyes and ears and a powerfull supporter, rally point and voice or reason in the Queen (and King) side on that circles... Man, I don't know what more say...

To be alerted and may be able to anticipate, prevent or mitigate, if is at all posible, the spreading of malicious rumors, fictional stories, or direct slander to the media especialy in delicate moments to the Royal Family like has happen in the past... Any gains in the 'Damage Control' margin should be wellcome I think. And all of that is IMHO a good thing to the SRF, and is a plus gained with the apointment of Zuleta instead a different dude.

my bolding
So King Felipe and Queen Letizia need "...to have eyes and ears and a powerful supporter, rally point and voice or reason in the Queen (and King) side on that circles". Senior Zuelta's appointment may be interpreted as an attempt to curry favour with more powerful than expected aristocratic circles. Is Spain a caste society? Is King Felipe capable of shielding his spouse from the mysterious aristocratic circles? I thought Queen Letizia won heart and minds of Spaniards with her super high intellect and much-touted resume. All the claims of intrigues around her by Queen Letizia's fans start sounding paranoid

[jjkg]

Originally Posted by Al_bina

my bolding
So King Felipe and Queen Letizia need "...to have eyes and ears and a powerful supporter, rally point and voice or reason in the Queen (and King) side on that circles". Senior Zuelta's appointment may be interpreted as an attempt to curry favour with more powerful than expected aristocratic circles. Is Spain a caste society? Is King Felipe capable of shielding his spouse from the mysterious aristocratic circles? I thought Queen Letizia won heart and minds of Spaniards with her super high intellect and much-touted resume. All the claims of intrigues around her by Queen Letizia's fans start sounding paranoid

Don't understand your comment, Al-bina. I get your sarcasm and dislike of all things Letizia, but am failing to understand your issue with this appointment, or your claims about paranoia. Then again, I may be working from a different dictionary of "paranoia"

From what I gather, this man has been with Felipe and Letizia for past 7 years, has gained their trust, has been impressed with Letizia's work ethic etc. If I recall correctly, he may have commented in the past that he did regret that press fails to see the work that Letizia did.

Now that is all water under the bridge.

Time to form their own team. As Letizia never had a secretary (unlike infantas and queen Sofia) who could be transitioned over, a new person had to be brought in. Who better than the one with whom they have trust, good working relationship etc.

That he happens to be a three times grandee is icing on the cake. HE may or maynot help with the aristos. But that is besides the point.

IMHO, any power that aristocrats had over Letizia may have been diminshed. They had power to really not accept her as future queen. But she won their grudging respect with her behavior over last 10 years as evidenced by the comments of powerful amongst them an article on JC that appeared in the beginning of the year.

One of them clearly stated that they were not pleased with the marriage but have come to accept it given her behavior over past 10 years.


Now this is not to say that the crowd that Paloma Barrientos hangs around with will be falling all over themselves to sing praises of Letizia. Paloma has been unhappy since day one that Letizia is not a member of the elite club, and will continue to be unhappy.


This is my understanding of the situation, and I honestly don't think it is a paranoid read of the situation.

[Al_bina]

It has been kind of you to give your opinion on the matter. Gauche bazaar-style dramas aside, there is nothing interesting about the Spanish royal family. I am not partial to any European royal. I felt like commenting on the particular parts of the posts. So I commented. That is all.

[Tiggersk8]

Originally Posted by Rhys

No, no, no... no you don't understand me. And is not the place of Zuleta sell anything to anyone.

P.R. for the spanish people will be managed by the Department of Communication and Media so will be a issue for the team of Gutiérrez Roldán with supervision of Alfonsin & Co. Like before was with Ayuso and Spottorno. Nothing to do with Zuleta.

IMHO, one of the sources of problems to H.M. in the Media and society is, has been and will be the sector of the Nobility that from day one went against H.M. vocally and not so vocally... Is there, where Zuleta could be very useful in adittion to his different responsabilities and attributions as Head of the Secretariat of Her Majesty The Queen. He is an insider in some circles with many hostiles to the new Queen, if you can't see any benefit to have eyes and ears and a powerfull supporter, rally point and voice or reason in the Queen (and King) side on that circles... Man, I don't know what more say...

To be alerted and may be able to anticipate, prevent or mitigate, if is at all posible, the spreading of malicious rumors, fictional stories, or direct slander to the media especialy in delicate moments to the Royal Family like has happen in the past... Any gains in the 'Damage Control' margin should be wellcome I think. And all of that is IMHO a good thing to the SRF, and is a plus gained with the apointment of Zuleta instead a different dude.

IMO you have explained it perfectly and ITA w/you. This truly does sound like a win-win appt for the new Royal Household.


Sent from my iPad using The Royals Community mobile app

[Duke of Marmalade]

Garc?a Revenga reclama a la Casa Real su indemnizaci?n por despido | loc | EL MUNDO

The former secretary to Infantas Elena and Cristina, Carlos García-Revenga, has decided to appeal the decision of the King's House to end their employment relationship without severance pay.

[carlota]

details of the expenditure of the spanish royal household and the salaries of the staff of the household have been published. el mundo says that the expenditure has decreased by 11%, possibly due to the government situation in spain which caused some cancellations in the agenda of the king and queen.
among the highest salaries for their staff are those of Jaime Alfonsín and Diego Martínez Palomo, chief of the house and secretary general respectively. amongst the lowest is that of the press secretary. despite a pledge to transparency of the royal household, the salary of letizia's stylist isn't published, el mundo reports.


La injusticia de no conocer el salario de la estilista de Doña Letizia | loc | EL MUNDO

[Duke of Marmalade]

Doña Letizia reina en un palacio donde ellos ganan más | loc | EL MUNDO

I am not surprised that 10 men hold the plum jobs, being paid around 130.000 Euros per year is not a bad salary, equivalent to a senior position in banking (no investment banking though).
Regarding those 10 men making more money than the Queen, not surprising either, especially the secretary of Juan Carlos, people of the past are being taken care of.

Regarding the salaries in general, working for an institution on the highest level is usually not lucrative. eg Angela Merkel earns around 380.000 Euros, a joke compared to those working in high positions in the private sector, every top level banking or industry position makes more money.

[Duc_et_Pair]

In most continental monarchies the salary scheme of the civil sector is followed. So when a civil servant from the Foreign Office or the Defence Department is requested to join the Household of the King, this comes with the rights he/she already has accumulated in the civil service.

When the King requests a former Ambassador to become one of the chief executives of the Royal Household, or requests an officer of the armed forces to be appointed in the Military Household, then this is with respect to existing rights. Is all pretty logic and means a well-paid position at an organization in the very top of the pyramid of society and state.

[Blog Real]

Changes in the Royal House: the Kings Felipe and Letizia have new head of security
https://translate.google.pt/translat...-rey-felipe%2F

[An Ard Ri]

Not sure what is happening at the media end of casareal but of late all videos are over a week old and are late publishing them.Once upon a time they were so efficient and posted videos daily,now we are lucky if we get one a week after the event