Fifteen speeches by Juan Carlos I and Felipe VI for history, from "you are not alone" to the Catalans on 3-O to "justice is the same for all"

Felipe VI faces this Thursday the most complex Christmas speech since he is Head of State. The resignation of the opaque part of the inheritance of his father, Juan Carlos I, as well as the

Politics.Moncloa assumes that Felipe VI will distance himself from Juan Carlos I in his Christmas message
Casa Real. King Juan Carlos sends a statement in which he announces that he will not return to Spain this Christmas
Politics.We can pressure Felipe VI to condemn the activities of the King Emeritus in his Christmas Eve speech

Felipe VI faces this Thursday the most complex Christmas speech since he is Head of State.

The resignation of the opaque part of the inheritance of his father, Juan Carlos I, as well as the different accusations that haunt the figure of the Emeritus, fly over a message that this year will be marked by the pandemic and the economic crisis that Spain is experiencing.

The recent fiscal regularization of Juan Carlos I and his desire to return to Spain have once again put at the center of the debate whether Felipe VI will uncheck

of his father in the speech, a stance that

defend

This aspect, together with the exceptional situation that the country is experiencing due to the coronavirus, gives this Thursday's speech a historic potential.

A review, rewinding time, leaves 15 nights in which politics and history were marked from the Palace.

2020: OF PANDEMIC

"We can never thank you enough for what you are doing for your country," said Felipe VI about the toilets in a

message to citizens

The first days of the bolt after the arrival of the virus in Spain, issued on March 18. His words, which seemed to anticipate events, have gained weight and meaning over the months.

That speech was marked by silence.

He did not refer to the news known just three days before: the Monarch renounced the inheritance of Juan Carlos I and withdrew all allowances for his relationship with opaque companies.

2017: THAT 3-O

"Our democratic principles are strong, they are solid."

Felipe VI addressed the Spanish the

night of October 3

, after the uncertainty generated by the

illegal referendum on October 1

A speech in which his words ("You are not alone" to the Catalans, "trust and hope" to the citizens of other autonomies) reinforced the role of the Crown, which acted as a cohesive and conciliatory institution of the State, beyond political powers.

2014: DEBUT WITH THORNS

Felipe VI already lived another problematic Christmas speech.

It was in his first Christmas Eve intervention as a Monarch.

A few days after the classic message to the Spanish, the

Infanta Cristina

was

processed

as part of the

case Nóos

, a matter that had already splashed on her husband for years,

Iñaki Urdangarín

Felipe VI, although he called in his speech to

"nip corruption in the bud"

He avoided mentioning his sister and brother-in-law.

2012: SILENCE BEHIND BOTSWANA

Nine months after breaking his hip during a

hunting in Botswana

, Juan Carlos I carried out a

short and concise Christmas speech

, without personal or institutional references about the Royal House. He spoke of putting "order" in the "accounts" so that the economy would "grow" again.

After what happened in Africa, and before the social rejection generated, he had already expressed in March some words that went down in the history of the Spanish monarchy: "I'm very sorry, I was wrong. It will not happen again."

2011: THE 'URDANGARIN CASE'

"Fortunately we live in a rule of law, and any objectionable action must be judged and punished according to the law.

Justice is the same for all

", Juan Carlos I sentenced in the Christmas speech, in a clear reference to the relationship of the then Duke of Palma, Iñaki Urdangarín, as an important figure in the

case Nóos

2008: THE CRISIS RUNNING

Juan Carlos I encouraged the Spanish to "

pull the car in the same direction

"to overcome in the best possible way the economic crisis that was already shaking Spain.

leitmotiv

of his Christmas Eve speech, in which he showed his concern and solidarity with those "who have lost their jobs", with "young people who cannot find work" and, in short, with "those who see their projects and aspirations threatened or truncated".

2004: LETIZIA IN THE BACKGROUND

With "rage and pain" the Monarch considered that the massacre of the

11 M

in its

traditional speech

of Christmas.

A special intervention, since months before the wedding between his son, Felipe de Borbón, and

Letizia ortiz

, who happened to be princess of Asturias.

A family portrait from the wedding day accompanied Juan Carlos I during his televised message.

2004: TERRIBLE 11-M

Hours after the chain of explosions in several train stations in Madrid, the King addressed the nation: "We will always be with you, with all those who suffer the consequences of a macabre madness without possible justification. These disgusting attacks only deserve the most energetic and absolute condemnation. "

2000: THE NEW SPAIN

Spain was entering the new millennium and simultaneously celebrating the quarter century of its democracy, a period in which, according to the Monarch, Spain managed to be "economically stronger" and "socially more just".

1997: ETA'S HELL

Although it was a constantly present theme in the King's Christmas speeches, the liberation of

Ortega Lara

and the kidnapping and murder of

Michelangelo White

they profoundly marked the 1997 intervention: "Citizen mobilization and the unity of democratic forces open a light of hope", he stressed.

1992: THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY

Juan Carlos I celebrated the "global triumph" that Spain had achieved in 1992 with the celebration of the Olympic Games in

Barcelona

and the V Centenary of the Discovery of America, honored in

Seville

1986: WE ARE (MORE) EUROPEAN

"Our participation in a political and economic framework such as the European one offers great possibilities, and at the same time presents us with important challenges," Juan Carlos I valued about Spain's first year as a member of the EU.

1981: 23-F, THE KING COMMANDED TO STOP

The message of Juan Carlos I to the Spaniards after the attempted coup in February 1981 definitively established the foundations of democracy in Spain: "The Crown, symbol of the permanence and unity of the Homeland, cannot tolerate in any way actions or attitudes of people who try to interrupt the democratic process by force, "the King deactivated the coup.

1978: THE CONSTITUTIONAL CROWN

"Linked to the Monarchy that embodied the fundamental purpose of restoring sovereignty to the Spanish people, and having achieved this objective (...), I intend for the Crown to continue and deepen its will to strengthen the solidarity of the Spanish", stressed Juan Carlos I a few days after the Constitution was ratified, days before, in the

Congress

, valued it as "the best guarantee for Spain to start a new period of greatness."

1975: GOODBYE TO FRANCO

Juan Carlos I addressed the Spanish for the first time at Christmas in 1975, a few weeks after acceding to the throne.

"The future will be ours," he promised.

There was a memory of the figure of

Frank

: "The year that is ending has left us a stamp of sadness".

To continue reading for free

Sign inSign up

subscribe to Premium

and you will have access to all the web content of El Mundo

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more