Abstract
Juan Carlos’s popularity since 1975 has sometimes been attributed to his ability to match the size and style of the monarchy to Spain’s needs and possibilities. In this, the king has enjoyed the considerable advantage of being able to start afresh, but this also meant there were very few reliable precedents for him to follow.
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Notes and Reference
Vilallonga, The king, pp. 63–4.
In 1994, the budgets for continental Europe’s major royal families (in millions of pesetas) were as follows: Norway, 1121; Sweden, 1225; Belgium, 980; Denmark, 798. (Note: £1 = approx. 200 pesetas).
Prince Felipe is said to have inherited some 400 million pesetas from Don Juan in deeds and shares, which had been left to him by Victoria Eugenia. Tribuna, 22 March 1993. After a long dispute with the Greek authorities, Queen Sofía has recently come into part of her inheritance, estimated at some 3500 million pesetas. Tiempo, 4 March 1991; FIES, Periódico de la Fundación Institucional Española, July–September 1994, p. 10.
The Scott documentary for ITV, a highly flattering account of the events of 1992 seen through royal eyes, was watched by five million viewers, or 38 per cent of the total audience, when finally shown in Spain.
Almansa’s appointment was attributed to the influence of the banker Mario Conde, president of Banesto, who studied at Deusto University with him. In June 1993 the king presided over the ceremony at which Conde was awarded an honorary doctorate by Madrid’s Complutense University. In January 1994, however, Conde was publicly disgraced when the Bank of Spain removed him from Banesto in order to avoid its collapse; a year later, he was imprisoned for several months.
The author happened to be with a senior royal household official when he was informed of the accident. His first question was not ‘how is the king?’, but ‘who was he with?’.
Vilallonga, The king, pp. 185–8.
El Mundo, 2 August 1992. Remarkably, according to one poll, 60 per cent of those consulted did not see why the king should adapt his private life to the interests of the state. Tiempo, 6 July 1992.
Amando de Miguel, La sociedad espanola, 1993–94, pp. 764–9.
One Spanish newspaper even attributed this campaign to the Italian industrialist Agnelli, on the ground that most of the publications involved belonged to his Rizzoli group. See Point de Vue, 11 August 1992; El Mundo, 12, 20 August 1992; Oggi, 18 August 1992; Cambio 16, Epoca, 31 August 1992.
Vilallonga, The king, p. 148.
Among those mentioned in this connection are the Georgian aristocrat and businessman Zourab Tchokonia (‘Prince’ Tchokonia) and the Aga Khan. ‘Los errores del Rey’, Tribuna, 17–22 September 1990; El País, 5 October 1993; Vilallonga, The king, pp. 35–6; Maclean, Crowned heads, pp. 68–9.
Don Juan had requested Franco’s permission to take his father’s remains back to Spain as early as 1967, but failed to obtain a reply.
Ironically, it appears to have been Carrero Blanco who first suggested the possibility of making Don Juan an honorary admiral to his son in early 1970. The precedent cited for this by Carrero was Mountbatten. López Rodó, Memorias, III, p. 13.
According to a major poll conducted in late 1990, 74 per cent of those questioned believed Felipe was receiving an adequate education for a future king, while 5 per cent thought it inadequate and 21 per cent failed to express an opinion. See ‘XII Años de Constitución y Democracia en España’, Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, 56, October–November 1991.
Vilallonga, The king, p. 139. Television interview with Selina Scott, 1992.
According to CIS polls conducted during the period 1984–90, between 62 per cent and 71 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement ‘without the presence of the king democracy would not have been viable in Spain’.
The CIS polls conducted over the period 1983–93 reveal that between 73 per cent and 81 per cent of respondents believed that ‘the king has won the support and affection of Spaniards, including those who were not initially in favour of the monarchy’.
Interview with Juan Carlos, El Figaro Magazine, 16 October 1994; Vilallonga, The king, p. 179.
According to the CIS polls, 71–79 per cent of those polled appreciated the monarchy’s contribution to ‘order and stability’; on average, 70 per cent attributed its importance to history and tradition; and 77–79 per cent expressed faith in its adaptability. The crown prince’s popularity has increased steadily in recent years as a result of his higher public profile. In late 1990, 79 per cent of those questioned had a good or excellent opinion of him, while 10 per cent were indifferent and only 3 per cent were critical.
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© 1996 Charles Powell
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Powell, C. (1996). Looking to the Future. In: Juan Carlos of Spain. St Antony’s Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24423-2_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24423-2_10
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