Marina Pina
Updated Monday, February 19, 2024-07:59
Profile Camilo Villarino, a "discreet and professional" official, chief of staff of four PP and PSOE ministers
Retirement The last service of Jaime Alfonsín, the keeper of the secrets of Felipe VI
Camilo Villarino Marzo is, as of today, the head of the King's House. His appointment was decided on the 16th and was published in the Official State Gazette this Monday. Both his arrival at Zarzuela and the replacement with Jaime Alfonsín have been done discreetly, and only the aforementioned BOE confirms that since this February the structure of Zarzuela's directors
begins to be renewed.
Villarino, a career diplomat, was chief of staff to
Dastis
, Borrell and Laya before leaving for Brussels to join the high representative's team. The official stands out for his discretion and for being a
"public servant
," say those who know him. Values that he shares with Jaime Alfonsín and those who have prepared the replacement.
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Monarchy.
The last service of Jaime Alfonsín, the keeper of the secrets of Felipe VI
Editorial: MARINA PINA Madrid
The last service of Jaime Alfonsín, the keeper of the secrets of Felipe VI
In recent weeks, Alfonsín has stopped accompanying Felipe VI to some events. He was, as EL MUNDO learned, finalizing the details of his departure and saying goodbye to people with whom he has maintained close contact in these
30 years within the House.
In parallel, Villarino has spent the last few weeks in Brussels closing matters before joining this new stage. Thus, on February 6 he had
a farewell meal
at the Spanish Embassy in Brussels, as EL MUNDO has learned.
It was not until last week when Alfonsín and Villarino, who know each other, as they have coincided on numerous State trips of the Kings during the stage in which the diplomat was Chief of Staff, began
the transition
within Zarzuela.
Villarino already knows the management of the House and since this Monday he faces the challenge of ensuring
the proper functioning
of the main institution of the State. For now, he takes the reins in one of the weeks with the most international weight on Felipe VI's agenda and with a return to Brussels, which was his home in recent years.
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Real home.
The internal challenge of Felipe VI: renewing the House when everyone is over 60 and there is no retirement age
Editorial: MARINA PINA Madrid
The internal challenge of Felipe VI: renewing the House when everyone is over 60 and there is no retirement age
This same Monday, the King receives the Minister of
Foreign Affairs of China
in audience , an event in the Zarzuela palace with public coverage that the head of the House does not normally attend. On Tuesday, Don Felipe will travel to Mons, in Belgium, to visit the
Supreme Headquarters of NATO.
A highly politically charged trip in the delicate moments that the world is going through and where, this time, Villarino will make its debut.
On Wednesday Villarino will be able to take out his diplomatic uniform to attend the
delivery of credentials
at the Royal Palace. The ambassadors of Mauritania, Jordan, China, Cape Verde and Singapore are accredited to Felipe VI. On Thursday there will also be a meeting with the president of Guatemala and a lunch afterwards at the Royal Palace.
Beyond the most immediate agenda, it is logical to think that in the coming months the new boss will undertake a reform of the management positions in the organizational chart, replacing people to form his
own team
. From today Villarino will be the interlocutor with the rest of the Institutions, the person in contact with the Government to organize the commitments of Felipe VI, in addition to being responsible for administrative tasks such as organizing the annual budget or closing the contracts with Zarzuela.
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New head of the King's House.
Camilo Villarino, a "discreet and professional" official, chief of staff of four PP and PSOE ministers
Editor: PABLO R. SUANZES (Correspondent)Brussels
Camilo Villarino, a "discreet and professional" official, chief of staff of four PP and PSOE ministers
With the rank of minister and a salary of
147,204.12 euros
per year, one of Villarino's most delicate tasks will have to do with the institution's past. The new Head of the House will also be in charge of maintaining relations with Juan Carlos I, still a member of the Spanish Royal Family. A new interlocutor who faces controlling the private actions of Don Juan Carlos in the year in which Felipe VI's father wants to come to Spain every month. The King Emeritus held Alfonsín responsible for his departure from Spain and the dialogue between the two was complicated. Now, although Don Juan Carlos speaks with his son directly, there is another head of the House as the interlocutor.
It was on January 24 when the Royal Household issued a statement informing of Felipe VI's decision to replace Jaime Alfonsín as Head of the Household. Alfonsín, after 30 years at the Monarch's side, expressed his desire to
step aside
two years ago , but waited until the Princess of Asturias came of age to make it effective. Far from looking for someone from within Zarzuela to take over, the Head of State chose Camilo Villarino, a 60-year-old diplomat who until now worked as Josep Borrell's chief of staff in the European Union.