Royal Staff and Household of The King of Spain


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lula

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All the information here:

The Royal Household of His Majesty the King_ Welcome

The Household of H.M. the King is a constitutional body, the organization and functions of which – in accordance with the provisions of Article 65 of the Constitution – are regulated in detail under Royal Decree No. 434/1988, of 6 May 1988.

This Royal Decree (amended by Royal Decrees 657/1990, 1033/2001 and 1183/2006) states that the Household of His Majesty the King “is an Institution that, responsible directly to His Majesty, is required to serve and support him in all activities deriving from the exercise of his functions as Head of State”..

Organization

Head of the Household

Secretary General

Head of the Military Chamber

Management staff
  • Planning and Coordination Office
  • Secretariat of H.M. the Queen.
  • Secretariat of H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias.
  • Security Service
  • Relations with the Media.
  • Protocol.
  • Administration, Infrastructure and Services.
 
Head of the Household: D. Alberto Aza Arias

Secretary General: D. Ricardo Díez-Hochtleiner

Head of the Military Chamber: D. Felipe Carlos Victoria de Ayala

Secretary of H.M. the Queen: D. José Cabrera García

Secretary of H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias: D. Jaime Alfonsin Alfonso

Relations with the Media: D. Juan González-Cebrián Tello

Protocol: D. Alfonso Sanz Portalés

The director of Relations with the Mass media of the House of the King, Juan Gonzalez-Cebrián Tello, will leave his post in the middle of next January for " strictly personal " reasons, as have informed Efe sources of the Zarzuela.

epa - european pressphoto agency: El jefe de Relaciones con los Medios de Casa del Rey deja su cargo en enero
 
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Does Her Majesty employ ladies in waiting ?

I've never seen her with one .
 
Pilar Urbano: “En la Casa del Rey hay rutina, cansancio y fatiga” : Últimas noticias en MinutoDigital.Com

Queen Sofia's biograph Pilar Urbano comments on the changes that lula outlined in the previous post, the new director of communications will have a tough job to change the long-established routines in the House of the King, make it fit for purpose in the 21st century.

Princess Letizia feels misunderstood since its all about her nose or heels, no substance :p a result of the "being dragged along by Felipe at events" stratey of the past years?
 
Does Her Majesty employ ladies in waiting ?

I've never seen her with one .

This is an old question, but just in case it haven't been answered in another thread...:
No, she doesn't have any lady in waiting(nor does the Princess of Asturias or any Infanta, obviously). When the monarchy was restored, they(and it is often said it was Sofía's idea) ended with the traditional court and everything related to it like the ladies in waiting. For years there's been some articles in the newspapers that some of the spanish aristocracy are mad about things like this(no court anymore, etc...) and feel like the Kings haven't treated them as they deserved ( they were obviously expecting some kind of preferential treatment and they didn't get it). For example, I know three families(a Marques(sp?), a Duke and a widow countess) who were expecting invitations to the Prince of Asturias wedding and didn't get them. I also know the countess was very upset about it:ROFLMAO:
 
The House of the King has new heads. The diplomat Rafael Spottorno replaces Alberto Aza as Head of the House whereas also diplomat Alfonso Sanz, till now head of protocol, will replace Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner as secretary general.

The Official Bulletin of the State (BOE) publishes in the edition of this friday the corresponding cessations and appointments, which were announced by the Zarzuela Palace last August.

Not yet known who will choose His Majesty as the new head of protocol.

La Casa del Rey inicia hoy un nuevo curso con cambios en su jefatura | España | elmundo.es


The Council of Ministers has agreed today to grant the Great Cross of the Order of Carlos III to Alberto Aza Arias and Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner Rodríguez, who this week put an end to a stage of nine years as head and secretary general of the House of the King, respectively.

http://www.adn.es/politica/20110930/NWS-0850-III-Gobierno-Carlos-Cruz-Gran.html
http://www.adn.es/politica/20110930/NWS-0850-III-Gobierno-Carlos-Cruz-Gran.html
 
Article in Spanish about the Royal Household ("The King's Men")
Todos los hombres del Rey | Política | EL PAÍS

The key figures are pictured in the gallery (Secretary General, Head of Househould, Head of Security, Head of Admin, Chief of Military, Chief of Protocol).

The article describes what happened from the early days of JC's Zarzuela to this very day. Many of JC's old pals have retired or died, but he is still firm in his seat: JC, the King, who rules. There is no number 2, not even Felipe. To his men, he is Boss, to his family Patron. To everybody surrounding him one thing is clear: he will die as King.
 
Who's Who in H.M. The King’s Household

Mr. Rafael Spottorno Díaz-Caro
Head of the Royal Household of His Majesty The King

Mr. Alfonso Sanz Portolés
Secretary-General

Mr. Antonio de la Corte García
Jefe del Cuarto Militar

Mr. Domingo Martínez Palomo
Head of the Planning and Coordination Office.

Mr. José Cabrera García
Head of the Secretariat of Her Majesty The Queen

Mr. Jaime Alfonsín Alfonso
Head of the Secretariat of His Royal Highness The Prince of Asturias.

Mr. Manuel Barrós Vales
Head of the Security Service

Mr. Javier Ayuso Canals
Head of Communication

Mr. Cándido Creis Estrada
Head of Protocol

Mr. Isaías Peral Puebla
Director of Administration, Infrastructure and Services.

Mr. Óscar Moreno Gil
Comptroller

Casa de Su Majestad el Rey de España - Área de Prensa
 
how exciting that the team are changing, i suspect felipe will bring in more people of his age. i can't wait to hear who he chooses for his secretariat, and who letizia will choose also, as now she will probably get her own secretariat, like queen sofia. where will their staff come from exactly? the diplomatic corps?
 
For now there will not be big changes. This is a time of transition and a lot of work for them, so just change people of team Juan Carlos, for people on the team that Felipe already had, or people he trusted most in the House.

I do not think think the will introduce completely new people, who knows the workings of the house, that will have to be happening over time.
 
No Josefine, there are no ladies-in-waiting, maid of honours or mistress of robes in Spain. After the enthronment of Juan Carlos, it was decided, much to the chargrin of the aristocracy, that the old system with camareras mayores, duenas and damas de honor etc. was not to be re-established.
 
Lawyer Jaime Alfonsín Alfonso until now head of the Secretariat of the Prince of Asturias, replaced starting tomorrow the diplomat Rafael Spottorno Díaz-Caro as Head of the King's House. Alfonsín, has served as head of the Secretariat of Prince Felipe for the past 19 years, after developing a long career in public service, teaching and lawyer.

Jaime Alfonsín sustituirá a Rafael Spottorno como jefe de la Casa del Rey | Política | Edición España | www.efe.com

Official communiqué

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

Biography

http://www.casareal.es/ES/documents/Biografia_Alfonsin.pdf
 
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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
 
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).
 
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.
 
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...
 
... [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.
 
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...
 
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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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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