King Felipe VI celebrates 10 years as Spain's head of state

euronews (in English)

After ascending to the throne following his father Juan Carlos I's dramatic abdication, Felipe VI oversaw a politically tumultuous time in which Spain dealt with several political earthquakes, including the 2017 Catalan independence crisis.

Transcript

00:00The King Felipe VI took his family to the balcony of the Royal Palace in Madrid

00:07ten years after he took possession as head of state after the turbulent abdication of his father, Juan Carlos I,

00:13due to the numerous public and private scandals.

00:17In this time, the new king has focused his work on renewing the monarchy

00:21and returning transparency and integrity to the institution.

00:24He is a good person. And what has happened, has happened.

00:27And I would like him to leave his family in peace.

00:30One of the biggest challenges was the Catalan independence referendum in 2017,

00:35when the monarch intervened to undermine the unity of Spain.

00:38During this decade, Felipe VI has had to reign over a political tumult

00:43with five general elections in less than nine years.

00:46I think that the intervention after the referendum

00:50has been very beneficial for all Spaniards.

00:54It was a turning point and I think that it prevented the independence

01:01or the separation of a part of Spain.

01:04King Felipe VI also had to make painful personal decisions

01:08distancing the monarchy from the scandals of the past.

01:11This included separating his sister, Infanta Cristina,

01:14due to the corruption cases of her husband, Iñaki Urdangarín,

01:17and managing a complex relationship with his father,

01:20who moved to Abu Dhabi in 2020.

01:22I have tried to keep away from all the scandals,

01:25trying to keep the monarchical institution completely out of the way.

01:30I think I have done it in a very correct way.

01:32The future of the monarchy now lies in Princess Leonor,

01:35who has turned most of her age and has already sworn the constitution.

01:39The next years of Felipe VI's reign will be decisive

01:43to restore confidence in the monarchy

01:46and to finish reconnecting with Spanish society

01:49before giving the center to its heir.

01:51In Madrid, Jaime Velázquez, Euronews.

Category

Transcript

Recommended