King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, Current Events Part 21: May 2011 - April 2012

[Madame Royale]

I too understand that an indavidual's life experiences help to define who they are, but as adults we all make decisions (yes, even Kings) and need to understand that occasionally there are guaranteed consequences as a result. It's a matter of personal accountability.

[royalistbert]

I fear for the entire institution.

[grevinnan]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2130461/Austerity-whats-Spanish-King-Juan-Carlos-slammed-27-000-elephant-hunting-trip-countrys-economy-teeters-brink.html?ITO=1490
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2112130,00.html

I wonder what kind of public reaction he gets once he is back working or if there is some kind of statement from casa real. I doubt it though. I doubt he gets booed or something or some active movement to follow up on this. At some point there will be business as usual.

Spaniards know that he has always been this way, only this time it became public, unintentionally. Over decades there has been a pact between politics, media & the King in order to consolidate democracy and the key was the monarchy, with the King becoming almost untouchable. Overall I'd say he still is, with regard to the abdication topic. It will never happen.

Despite the controversy, JC's life story explains why he does "in private" what he wants to do - politically correct or not. Over decades he had to serve a purpose, was a pawn, had to do what other people told him and, as a consequence, was forced to become an actor in his private (to please Franco) & professional life.

The reactions would probably have been different if he had either been on a trip with his mistress or been hunting but without her. Whether being caught doing both may or may not be the tipping point for the Spanish peoples acceptance of the Kings choice of life style.

[Benjamin]

La Reina, de Lucía Méndez en El Mundo | Reggio's

[MissJanet]

I just read (Wikipedia) that JC accidently shot his younger brother when he was 18. How can he go on and ever use a weapon again after such a tradegy? Especially for fun!

I'm speechless. Is the man insane?

[kalnel]

Originally Posted by Winnie

You are correct. Here in America, everyone knew that JFK and Jackie each had many lovers during their lives in the White House, but since they were the media sweet hearts, all looked the other way. Same with Bill Clinton until the "blue dress" was proof of his playing in the Oval Office. Movie stars had open adulterous relationships [Tracey & Hepburn] and the media never printed a nasty word. It was a generous time. Today, most people like to read the dirt and feel free to comment and "pull apart" others lives. It is their hobby to find fault. We as a society will never go back to looking the other way. In a way, it is proper that facts are brought to light, especially when the public is footing the bill, when they are immoral or just plain disgusting [like the King and his hunting]. But, we now are a very jealous society and relish making comments about people that have so much more that we do. Whether it be social standing, wealth and certainly looks. People don't like the fact that others have more than they do. Silly.

One of the reasons that countries can't get good moral politicians to run their countries as anyone with common sense and brains don't want to be placing their family under this microscope. Who knows where it will all end. But the King deserves everything now that he gets, and I still truly feel for his wife and their grandchildren who seem to be the innocents in all this.

There was an interesting article in New York Magazine a few weeks ago discussing this: The History of New York Scandals - Jim Holt and Laura Kipnis Discuss Bad Behavior -- New York Magazine.

Their theory was that society today is a lot more sophisticated and sexually liberated today than it was, say, back in the 1960s, so tawdry details about scandals appear in more respectable magazines, newspapers, etc. It all feeds the public's appetite for more.

Plus, the media doesn't make a lot of distinction among people anymore. So, no one hesitates to treat the King of Spain the same way as, say, Lindsey Lohan.

[kalnel]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

Over decades he had to serve a purpose, was a pawn, had to do what other people told him and, as a consequence, was forced to become an actor in his private (to please Franco) & professional life.

I was thinking about this today when I was reading a story that said only the Queen, Felipe, and Letizia had been behaving well. Years ago, people used to say that Juan Carlos was the one who behaved well when his father and Franco pursued their agendas. Times change...

[Duke of Marmalade]

What really happened
http://redaccion.lamula.pe/files/201...pa%C3%B1a1.jpg

The laugh is always on the loser!

[Artemisia]

The truth always comes out in the end.

[MagMil]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

What really happened
http://redaccion.lamula.pe/files/201...pa%C3%B1a1.jpg

The laugh is always on the loser!

l0l what a photo

[rominet09]

What a laugh and how the people on the pic are alike !

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

What really happened
http://redaccion.lamula.pe/files/201...pa%C3%B1a1.jpg

The laugh is always on the loser!

[Baroness of Books]

I wonder how much the king is getting ridiculed like this in the Spanish media.

[Artemisia]

Quite a lot.
That's the fifth cartoon in connection with recent events I've seen today.
If it goes like this, all the respect the King has amassed during the decades will be gone. And when respect is gone, everything else will be soon as well.

[Baroness of Books]

I'm laughing at the elephant kicking J-C in the butt, but I get the willies seeing him shoot his grandson. A not so subtle dig at his past with the allusion to the shooting death of his brother, I'm sure. It looks like the media is really raking this tragedy up and is playing hardball.

[asturiana]

elpais.com

Un empresario saudí pago la cacería del Rey en Botsuana

WWF inicia los trámites para suprimir el cargo del rey como presidente de honor

[biboquinhas]

I do think that all this situation isn't good for the royal family...I have seen in the news, yesterday, people outside the hospital, complaining about this situation.... the King made two terrible mistakes...one is going on this expensive kind of holidays during the big crisis the world is living, the king should give the example... besides this he went to kill animals for fun...not having in mind what this action may create in the public...His brother was kill in a similar scenary, his grandchild had an accident in a similar scenary with guns...that isn't in any way good for the Royal Family...

[Alondra]

Slowly getting more information....

www.microsofttranslator.com/BV.aspx?ref=IE8Activity&a=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.es%2F20120418%2Fespana%2Fabci-elefantes-dinero-201204180207.html

"Finally, the identity of the person who invited the King to the hunting has been known. This is the Saudi businessman of Syrian origin and residing in Spain Mohamed Eyad Kayali, Manager and confidant of Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of defence of Saudi Arabia and third in the line of succession to the Crown. The close relationship of friendship that Don Juan Carlos maintains with Prince Salman has been decisive in the award of the contract of the «bird of the desert' to a consortium of Spanish companies. The project, valued at more 6.736 billion euros, is the largest international contract ever achieved by Spanish companies."

JC has no doubt made a mistake, a big one. The days of royal hunting without impunity are gone, and unfortunately for him, he got caught. Worst of all, he did so in a week critical to Spain's financial standing and he's been damaged as a result.

Having said that, the WWF maybe should shut up and look back to its own past before getting all high and mighty. A past including well known big game African hunting royals as its funding Presidents.

As a Spaniard, one thing that I consider positive from this fiasco is the confirmation that the Prince of Asturias' family are finally being recognised as the hard working, committed royals struggling getting acknowledgement in the past. It's dreadful how la Casa Real (the Royal House) has treated Letizia ....by simply never defending her. I truly feel for both Felipe and Letizia and give them kudos for how they are handling these awful times.

On the issue of JC and mistresses, while it may be a "scandal" in the rest of the world, it's been ackowledged in Spain for many years. It's their private life. A life QS has always been quite happy about.

[EIIR]

So, if this Saudi Prince is paying for the King to hunt elephants, what does he expect from the King in return?

[Alondra]

Have you read the link EIIR? JC and Mohamed Eyad Kayali are close friends and apparently this relationship was instrumental for Spain getting a very lucrative contract - one that France was almost sure to get until JC personally intervened.

It's always been known the close relationship betwen Spain, the SRF, JC, the Middle East and its Royal Houses. This is no news.

Whilst this is delving in political issues and I have no intention of going further (there is plenty information for those wanting to further explore this issue) Spain did not recognise Israel until 1986 because they didn't want to recognise it until it withdrew from the occupied territories and a Palestinian estate was created. This is just one reason for the close relationship, there are plenty of others.

[Madame Royale]

A life QS has always been quite happy about.

Pray tell, how do you know she is happy about it?

She's the Queen of Spain, her options are limited and the inevitability of the situation is that she has a public presence to maintain and a show of stability to uphold.

Being resolved to the reality of a situation does not necessarily mean someone is 'quite happy about it'. They just know there is little that can be done and so accept it for how it is.