Future and Popularity of the Spanish Monarchy


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travelguy said:
Do you think he will abdicate in the future, if so how many years so we think he will be king of Spain, this year it will be 10 years
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I don't know if King Felipe VI is thinking about abdicating in the future, but he shouldn't think about it at the moment. Leonor is still only 18 years old and is still studying.
Maybe in about 30 years this question could be relevant.
 
New Poll:
Despite the difficulties and adversities, 70.4% consider that the current Head of State is a guarantee of stability, according to the NC Report study for LA RAZÓN on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his proclamation.
PP and Vox voters are the ones who agree the most, with 92% and 93.3, respectively. The Socialists, 61.5% against 7.7% who consider the opposite, also say that it is a guarantor of stability.
In this sense, in terms of the assessment of his performance during all these years, the vast majority – 66.3% – value his reign as good or very good compared to an insignificant 9.7 who answer badly or very badly.
www.larazon.es

El 70,4% cree que el Rey es garantía de estabilidad

Los españoles califican de muy bueno su reinado y consideran que su papel fue fundamental para mantener la unidad en el «procés»
www.larazon.es www.larazon.es
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
Felipe has not put a foot wrong in all those years. But when looking at pictures, he has probably aged not 10 but 20 years.
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He hadn't the easiest of starts to his reign with all of the baggage from JC/Inaki/NOOS and then the Catalonian Separatist movement and Government formations.
The king deserves an extra long Summer Holiday!
 
Three out of four Spaniards believe that Princess Leonor will be queen!
The perception that she will be monarch is higher on the right (86%) than in the centre (76%) and on the left (65%).
www.abc.es

Tres de cada cuatro españoles creen que la Princesa reinará

Doña Leonor concita un apoyo similar en ambos sexos y en todas las franjas de edad, en especial entre los jóvenes
www.abc.es www.abc.es

According to the GAD3 survey for ABC, 76 percent of Spaniards see it as "positive" that Princess Leonor receives military training, a figure that has grown significantly in the last three years. Almost unanimous support for Leonor's university studies: 93%.
www.abc.es

Apoyo mayoritario y creciente a la formación militar de la Heredera

Respaldo casi unánime a los estudios universitarios de Doña Leonor: el 93%
www.abc.es www.abc.es

Ten years into his reign, the majority of Spaniards believe that Felipe VI has strengthened the image of the Monarchy. This is the opinion of 54% of citizens, according to a survey carried out by GAD3 and published by ABC today.
www.abc.es

El 54% de los españoles creen que el Rey ha fortalecido la Monarquía

La percepción de que el Monarca ha dado un espaldarazo a la Institución se ha disparado 20 puntos en 4 años
www.abc.es www.abc.es

58% of Spaniards declare themselves monarchists, while 36% are republicans.
The centre and the right are very supportive of the current system, while the left prefers the republic, as do the younger generation.
www.abc.es

Un 58% de los españoles se declaran monárquicos, por un 36% republicanos

El centro y la derecha son muy partidarios del actual sistema, frente a una izquierda que prefiere la república, al igual que los más jóvenes
www.abc.es www.abc.es
 
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A majority of Spaniards believe that the Monarchy of King Felipe VI in 2025 is better than that of King Juan Carlos I in 2000.
PP (67.7%) and PSOE (51.5%) voters are those who show the greatest sympathy for the monarchy, followed by Vox (48.8%).

www.elespanol.com

Una mayoría de españoles opina que la Monarquía de Felipe VI en 2025 es mejor que la de Juan Carlos I en 2000

Los votantes de PP (67,7%) y PSOE (51,5%) son los que mayor simpatía muestran por la institución, seguidos por los de Vox (48,8%). Más información: Un 62% de los españoles y un 70% de las españolas creen que "vivimos en un mundo peor" que el del año 2000
www.elespanol.com www.elespanol.com
 
Blog Real said:
A majority of Spaniards believe that the Monarchy of King Felipe VI in 2025 is better than that of King Juan Carlos I in 2000.
PP (67.7%) and PSOE (51.5%) voters are those who show the greatest sympathy for the monarchy, followed by Vox (48.8%).

www.elespanol.com

Una mayoría de españoles opina que la Monarquía de Felipe VI en 2025 es mejor que la de Juan Carlos I en 2000

Los votantes de PP (67,7%) y PSOE (51,5%) son los que mayor simpatía muestran por la institución, seguidos por los de Vox (48,8%). Más información: Un 62% de los españoles y un 70% de las españolas creen que "vivimos en un mundo peor" que el del año 2000
www.elespanol.com www.elespanol.com
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Where on the political spectrum are these parties?
 
People wants calm, stability and behaviour from the royals… The media and their columnists may like and even prefer scandals but the general population certainly don’t…. And Felipe has offered his people that after years of anything but calm, stability and behaviour from the royals…. I’m not surprised at all that he is popular and well liked…

Muhler said:
Where on the political spectrum are these parties?
Click to expand...
PSOE are the spanish social democrats and PP are the spanish christian democrats.
 
The popularity of King Felipe and Queen Letizia is great. After the catastrophe in Valencia, their popularity has increased, because they have shown the Spanish people their closeness and exemplary behavior. The behavior of the politicians was shameful, but the behavior of the king was exemplary, and for me, admirable, his behavior was admirable, and so was Queen Letizia.this is very good to monarchy

The image of Queen Mother Sofia is also very good, and the Spanish people also admire and appreciate her. she is loved too.

But it is obvious that King Juan Carlos is the one who has the worst image, and generates division in public opinion.
All his scandals since 2009, and the latest scandals that have even very people led to rethinking his history, including the extravagant party, without sparing expenses that he is celebrating in Abu Dhabi, I believe do not benefit his image.
I am the first person who is disappointed with King Juan Carlos.

The image of the monarchy is very good, but I think that the image of King Juan Carlos is not good. I even think that many Spaniards, who admired him in the past, have lost that admiration today, and are even very disappointed with him.
 
It is really intensely sad about Juan Carlos, because he worked hard for Spain. He just lost himself along the way.

And now Felipe has been determined to work even harder. It’s a little bittersweet if he’s getting better ratings than his once wildly-popular father, but it’s both positive that the strategy is paying off and came when he showed compassion and caring in the manner of his old man at JC’s best. So… good?

Also… why are the far-right in Spain not monarchists?
 
Prinsara said:
Also… why are the far-right in Spain not monarchists?
Click to expand...
They have until very recently shown support for the monarchy, and a large part of the members of this party still support the monarchy. But this party never really knows what they support and changes its opinion a lot.
 
Prinsara said:
It is really intensely sad about Juan Carlos, because he worked hard for Spain. He just lost himself along the way.

And now Felipe has been determined to work even harder. It’s a little bittersweet if he’s getting better ratings than his once wildly-popular father, but it’s both positive that the strategy is paying off and came when he showed compassion and caring in the manner of his old man at JC’s best. So… good?

Also… why are the far-right in Spain not monarchists?
Click to expand...
It is not just in Spain. I believe that the far right in Belgium or the Netherlands is not particularly supportive of the monarchy either.

In fact, if you think about it, many monarchists supported the Nazis in Germany in the early 1930s expecting Hitler to restore the monarchy, which of course was never going to happen and was never his intention. More recently, many monarchists in Brazil also supported Bolsonaro because of his alleged monarchist leanings, but Bolsonaro never made any concrete move in favor of the monarchist cause while he was president.

At least in the modern extant European monarchies (not the case of the Kaiser or probably the current Orléans-Bragança pretender in Brazil), the royal houses normally stand for constitutional government, rule of law, and minority rights (including rights for immigrants and asylum seekers, or religious minorities). At least, that is what all Kings say in their addresses on Christmas and other occasions., I don't think that is an exact match for the far-right, populist agenda.
 
Lipe said:
The popularity of King Felipe and Queen Letizia is great. After the catastrophe in Valencia, their popularity has increased, because they have shown the Spanish people their closeness and exemplary behavior. The behavior of the politicians was shameful, but the behavior of the king was exemplary, and for me, admirable, his behavior was admirable, and so was Queen Letizia.this is very good to monarchy

The image of Queen Mother Sofia is also very good, and the Spanish people also admire and appreciate her. she is loved too.

But it is obvious that King Juan Carlos is the one who has the worst image, and generates division in public opinion.
All his scandals since 2009, and the latest scandals that have even very people led to rethinking his history, including the extravagant party, without sparing expenses that he is celebrating in Abu Dhabi, I believe do not benefit his image.
I am the first person who is disappointed with King Juan Carlos.

The image of the monarchy is very good, but I think that the image of King Juan Carlos is not good. I even think that many Spaniards, who admired him in the past, have lost that admiration today, and are even very disappointed with him.
Click to expand...
King Juan Carlos was popular and respected up until around 2009, its after that his reputation took a hammering and he surrounded himself in scandal with his behaviour and ill advised trips & companions.

King Felipe has done a wonderful job in calming the choppy waters surrounding the Monarchy and has the full support of his wife,mother and daughters.
 
Surprisingly, and understandable for the people who didn't think the Spanish monarchy could survive JC's scandals, it's healthier than been in decades.

When I was young, I used to be so jealous of the Nordic countries. They had kings and queens having a "normal" life by mixing with their people - they could walk, shop or go to a movie like everyone else. Many of us in Spain thought it'd be impossible to see that kind of monarchy in our country. And we were wrong.

It's a bit incredible how things have changed in a few short decades, starting with me not feeling jealous anymore :) Felipe and Letizia have transformed how the monarchy is generally now perceived in Spain - they have an institutional role to fulfil but they can go shopping, have fun with their friends and be part of society even if they need bodyguards.

Letizia is often seen shopping for books, vegetables or just browsing shops in Madrid. Felipe goes shopping in El Corte Ingles, where most of Madrid go shopping.

They've normalised and connected the royal institution to the people.
 
I recall ten years ago, online commentators regularly said that Leonor and Sofia should be prepared by their parents for private-sector jobs because the monarchy would cease in their lifetime.

And now it seems one of the most secure in Europe—how things can change!
 
Vanitatis did a survey on the popularity of the monarchy and royal family.

King Felipe VI has a 43.7% approval rating, compared to 21.1% disapproval.
This year, for the first time, more than 36% of respondents believe the monarchy is stronger today than it was in 2014.
www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com

La imagen de la monarquía se mantiene fuerte en España con la reina Letizia y la princesa Leonor más valoradas que nunca

Vanitatis, en colaboración con IMOP Insights, presenta la V edición del Informe Borbón sobre la imagen de la monarquía en España
www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com

62.8% of respondents agree with the statement that the King and Queen have shown a more sociable attitude, which represents a significant evolution in this area.
However, there is one attribute that, although mentioned, remains in the balance. That is transparency, which falls from 20% in 2024 to 17.2% in 2025. When specifically asked about this issue, 58.2% of respondents believe that the monarchy has not yet achieved an adequate level of transparency.

70% believe the King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia have a good relationship with Pedro Sánchez, Spain's Prime Minister, and the government.
This is the opinion of 70%, which is the sum of those who believe the relationship is very good (3.8%), good (12.6%), or fair (52.9%). The perception of the relationship between the government and King Felipe tends to be, in general terms, positive, or at least fair.
In terms of data, the majority (55.7%) believe that the King's work as Spain's representative abroad is accurate.
28.0% of respondents believe that the king should have a greater role in this area.

Youth remains a pending issue, with 82% admitting they are not familiar with the Spanish Royal House Instagram account.
However, among the 25-35 age group, Princess Leonor receives a more favorable rating than King Felipe VI himself (6.2 versus 5.8).
 
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Alondra said:
Surprisingly, and understandable for the people who didn't think the Spanish monarchy could survive JC's scandals, it's healthier than been in decades.

When I was young, I used to be so jealous of the Nordic countries. They had kings and queens having a "normal" life by mixing with their people - they could walk, shop or go to a movie like everyone else. Many of us in Spain thought it'd be impossible to see that kind of monarchy in our country. And we were wrong.

It's a bit incredible how things have changed in a few short decades, starting with me not feeling jealous anymore :) Felipe and Letizia have transformed how the monarchy is generally now perceived in Spain - they have an institutional role to fulfil but they can go shopping, have fun with their friends and be part of society even if they need bodyguards.

Letizia is often seen shopping for books, vegetables or just browsing shops in Madrid. Felipe goes shopping in El Corte Ingles, where most of Madrid go shopping.

They've normalised and connected the royal institution to the people.
Click to expand...

I left Spain permanently in the 80s to live and work in the USA, that was before King JC's shenanigans became exposed after the trip to Botswana. I'm glad king Felipe took over and restored confidence in the monarchy, and the marriage institution. Felipe is a stabilizing force for our Spanish amalgam of cultures and languages. Spain is like a Paella, everything inside is different but it all blends in nicely.
 
It's true that today we can see Queen Letizia and King Felipe strolling the streets as if they were normal people, shopping... but we can't forget that the main reason this didn't happen in Spain before was the existence of the terrorist group ETA, which always targeted the Royal Family and even tried to assassinate King Juan Carlos in Mallorca (the terrorist group planted car bombs everywhere, killing many people, judges, politicians, ordinary people... its attacks were horrific).

King Felipe and Queen Letizia are demonstrating the value of the monarchy in Spain. Politics is severely discredited, Spanish politicians have very little credibility, and they have proven to be irresponsible and ineffective. However, the Royal Family is standing out, as demonstrated in Valencia with the tragedy.

King Juan Carlos was a good King and did a lot for Spain, but we all know that his last 10 years of reign have been disastrous. He was involved in a very shady affair with his mistress. Currently, I think his image hasn't improved, but the Royal Family has managed to distance from him; to put it mildly, it has managed to create a wall.

People see King Juan Carlos on one side, and the rest of the family, .King Felipe, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor, and Queen Sofia , she still has support in the polls and maintains a significant level of popularity, on a completely different side.

What I'm saying is very sad. King Juan Carlos did a lot for Spain. It's not easy to have to separate from him, but I think it was necessary to maintain the popularity of the monarchy.
 
King Juan Carlos did a lot for Spain. It's not easy to have to separate from him, but I think it was necessary to maintain the popularity of the monarchy.

I used to believe this, not anymore. I'm 64 and lived the transition from dictatorship to democracy in Spain. I supported JC 100% until it become obvious to me that JC had done little for Spain and plenty for himself. No one wants to write JC's factual story because a) he's no longer a resident in our country and b) stirring s***t, smells more and doesn't help the monarchy or Spain institutionally anymore.

His lovers were only a symptom of a man believing he had complete immunity to disregard wife, family and Spanish laws from the moment he became a king.
 
25 Years ago Don Juan Carlos was at the zenith of his popularity ,I don't think anyone would have imagined what unfolded over the next 2 decades and his abdication and disgrace.
 
An Ard Ri said:
25 Years ago Don Juan Carlos was at the zenith of his popularity ,I don't think anyone would have imagined what unfolded over the next 2 decades and his abdication and disgrace.
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He was so popular because he controlled Casa Real, the media and governments. The judiciary debacle began with Noos and followed by Botswana. Some parts of the press begun filtering stories about him, and once the flood opened it was impossible to contain.

A leopard doesn't change spots. JC had everything in his favour to become one of the greatest kings of Spain - except he didn't have personal integrity, and wanted to get very rich on the back of Spanish taxpayers.
 
Once the flood gates opened for Don Juan Carlos from the late 2000's onwards it was clear that the gloves were off and he kept adding fuel to the fire.
 
It was much more than the press having the freedom to take the gloves off. JC had become an "institutional problem" - his kickbacks from some countries lobbies, were a problem. His money in fiscal paradises were a problem. His personal life, having his mistress 2 kms away from Zarzuela where his wife lived, was a problem.

Governments had allowed him to do what he wanted, until it was obvious that the monarchy wouldn't survive because for the majority of Spaniards, he was viewed as another "corrupt Borbon". That's when institutional powers got rid of him.

I don't have any sympathy for him. He lives in the Emirates because they don't control where his income comes from. He can move back to Spain when he wants to, except Hacienda (tax revenue office) will look closely where his money comes from.
 
I think his biggest problem is his inability to adapt to changing times and a changed society.
From todays perspective, lots of things he did for Spain and himself were illegal/criminal, but at the time it was normal/accepted by society. Maybe most things were even necassary to get the democracy going. Society was completely different then, nothing like today, scrutiny on a HoS, role of women etc etc.
Had he not tried to live the same way in the 2000s than the did in the 70s, he would not have fallen down as hard as he did. And it seems, he still doesnt understand to this very day.
 
Alondra said:
King Juan Carlos did a lot for Spain. It's not easy to have to separate from him, but I think it was necessary to maintain the popularity of the monarchy.

I used to believe this, not anymore. I'm 64 and lived the transition from dictatorship to democracy in Spain. I supported JC 100% until it become obvious to me that JC had done little for Spain and plenty for himself. No one wants to write JC's factual story because a) he's no longer a resident in our country and b) stirring s***t, smells more and doesn't help the monarchy or Spain institutionally anymore.

His lovers were only a symptom of a man believing he had complete immunity to disregard wife, family and Spanish laws from the moment he became a king.
Click to expand...
@Alondra you are 64? I'm 64, too and going 65 in December! OMG, did we lived parallel lives under Franco's dictatorship? Just yesterday I was telling a neighbor friend here in NY an anecdote during the dictatorship, possibly around 1965-66, of an adult cousin we lost because of the repression. He was 'removed' by Franco partisans, found weeks later and I was telling my neighbor how I still remember an uncle grabbing me and carrying me out of the funeral services to get fresh air because of the condition of the cousin even in a tight sealed casket.

Like you point out, king Juan Carlos was a hero to our generation and when the dictatorship crimes and mass tombs started getting exposed families like ours saw the king as a savior of Spain to bring Spain into the modern world. And then, his personality started to surface as years went by.

When he abdicated after the Botswana scandals, not just the woman involved but the going to Africa to shoot innocent elephants and wildlife, I thought for sure Spain was going to implode into mini republics from all directions.

And Felipe turned everything around to get the chaos created or manipulated by Jan Carlos to be undone. I now have hope for the monarchy to survive and even more to see a future where Felipe decides to retire and we can see Queen Leonor in our lifetime.
 
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I'm often reminded of a famous quip about the Bourbons
'The Bourbons have learned nothing and forgotten nothing '
His fall from grace almost destroyed the the restored Spanish Monarchy.
 
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