Philip VI of Spain

Philip VI of Spain (Madrid, January 30, 1968) is the current King of Spain, a title by which he holds the Head of State and the supreme command of the Armed Forces, since the June 19, 2014, the date on which he ascended the throne due to the abdication of his father, King Juan Carlos I.

On January 21, 1977, he was officially granted the title of Prince of Asturias. This concession took place without the legitimate heir to the throne of Spain, Juan de Borbón, having renounced his dynastic rights, which occurred on May 14, 1977. He was proclaimed king on June 19, 2014 before the Cortes Generales, after the abdication of his father became effective.

On the other hand, he is the third child of the marriage formed by the then kings of Spain, Juan Carlos I and Sofía. He, in turn, is married to Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, who bears the title of queen consort. He has two daughters with his wife, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía. The first is the current heiress to the Spanish Crown for complying with the regular principle of primogeniture.

Early Years

Felipe was born in Madrid on January 30, 1968 at the Nuestra Señora de Loreto clinic. He was the first son of then-Prince Juan Carlos and Princess Sofía, who had already had two daughters, Elena and Cristina.

He was baptized on February 8, 1968 in the Zarzuela Palace by Monsignor Casimiro Morcillo, Archbishop of Madrid. His godparents were the Count of Barcelona Juan de Borbón and the queen widow of Alfonso XIII, Victoria Eugenia, who returned to Spain for the first time since her exile on April 14, 1931. General Francisco Franco also attended the baptism, in his role as head of state, as well as other public figures.

His full secular name is Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia. Felipe was chosen in honor of his ancestor Felipe V, the first Bourbon to reign in Spain; Juan, by his paternal grandfather Juan de Borbón; Paul, by his maternal grandfather, King Paul I of Greece; Alfonso , after his great-grandfather Alfonso XIII, and de Todos los Santos as a continuation of the Bourbon tradition.

Among their ancestors we can find different concurrences of the royal houses of Europe, such as the kings of Spain, kings of Greece, the British monarchy and the emperors of Germany.

In 1977, two years after his father acceded to the throne after Franco's death, Felipe received the titles of Prince of Asturias, Prince of Viana and Prince of Gerona.

Studies and military career

Felipe VI, as general captain, on a visit to the "Galicia" Brigade VII (2015).

He studied Preschool, Basic General Education and Polyvalent Unified Baccalaureate at the Santa María de los Rosales School in Madrid. It was tried as much as possible that he was educated in the same way as the rest of his classmates, without receiving a special treatment by reason of his position. In Madrid, he received English and French lessons.

On September 5, 1984, he joined the Lakefield College School in Selwyn, in Ontario (Canada), to pursue his pre-university studies, for which he would obtain a special mention. On June 8, 1985, he returned to Spain.

Then he began his military training, which took him successively to the General Military Academy of Zaragoza, the Naval Military School of Marín and the General Air Force Academy of San Javier. Until his proclamation as King of Spain, he held the ranks of lieutenant colonel of the General Corps of Arms of the Infantry Army; frigate captain of the General Corps of the Navy; and lieutenant colonel of the General Corps of the Air Force.At the age of 18, in 1987, he completed his training as a midshipman on the training ship Juan Sebastián Elcano.

After completing his military training period, he began his civilian training period: he obtained a law degree from the Autonomous University of Madrid in 1993 and completed a master's degree (1993-1995) in International Relations at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service from Georgetown University, in Washington D.C.. He is the first king of Spain in history to have a university degree.

When he was proclaimed king, he became captain general of the Spanish Armed Forces (Ejército de Tierra, Navy and Ejército del Aire).

She is fluent in four languages: Spanish, English, French and Catalan.

Marriage and offspring

The Spanish Royal Family in 2019

On November 1, 2003, he announced his engagement to the Asturian journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano. The wedding took place on May 22, 2004 in the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid. The link was attended by heads of state from various parts of the world, as well as public figures from Spain and abroad; among the attendees were the kings of Norway, Sweden and Denmark; Prince Charles of Wales, Queen Noor of Jordan, Princess Carolina of Monaco, opera singer Plácido Domingo, astronaut Pedro Duque, former South African president Nelson Mandela and Nobel Prize winner for literature Mario Vargas Llosa.

The official honeymoon took place between various Spanish towns such as Cuenca, Albarracín, Zaragoza, Olite and San Sebastián. The newlyweds stayed in modest hotels and were seen eating typical dishes. Once finished, they began a journey that lasted from May to August. The trip began in Jordan, continued through the Fiji Islands and continued through Cambodia, Samoa, California and Mexico. According to James Badcock, correspondent in Spain for the British newspaper The Telegraph, the total bill amounted to 467,000 dollars, of which 269,000 were paid by the businessman Josep Cusí, a friend of Juan Carlos I. To the In light of this information, the Spanish digital newspaper Público, following the path established by the 2013 Transparency Law, registered an official request for information with the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Government, which finally rejected it.

Felipe and Letizia have two daughters: Leonor de Todos los Santos (b. October 31, 2005), Princess of Asturias; and Sofía de Todos los Santos (b. April 29, 2007), Infanta of Spain.

Philip is christening godfather to Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark; Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover; Felipe Gómez-Acebo y Ponte, son of his cousin Beltrán (in turn son of the Infanta Pilar); Miguel Urdangarin y Borbón, son of his sister, the Infanta Cristina; Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway; of Prince Vincent of Denmark; of Isabel of Orleans, daughter of Prince Carlos Felipe of Orleans; and of Princess Sofia of Bulgaria, daughter of Prince Konstantin-Assen of Bulgaria.

Prince of Asturias

Meeting of Prince Philip with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 7 February 2002.

On January 30, 1986, at the age of eighteen, he swore allegiance to the Constitution and the king in the Congress of Deputies, accepting his role as successor to the throne. Being a prince, in the act of appointment he wore a civilian suit and not his cadet uniform from the Military Academy, unlike his father, who on November 22, 1975 was sworn in as monarch before the Francoist Cortes with his uniform of Captain General of the Armed Forces.

Starting in October 1995, he toured the different autonomous communities of Spain to get to know them in depth. He has represented Spain at the inaugurations of Latin American presidents since January 1996. Felipe de Borbón also makes many international trips and participates in exhibitions held by Spain abroad, such as Expohábitat, Expotecnia and Expoconsumo.

Felipe and the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, in 2010.

In 1996, he participated in the making of the nature documentary series La España salvaje.

On the occasion of the declaration by the United Nations of 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers, the General Secretariat of the United Nations named Felipe eminent person for contributing to exalt the importance of the work of the volunteers.

Following the March 11, 2004 attacks in Madrid, the Prince of Asturias, along with his sisters, the Infantas Elena and Cristina, became the first members of the Spanish royal family to participate in a demonstration.

In addition to his State commitments, the Prince of Asturias also held the presidency of numerous charitable organizations, highlighting those of the foundations that bear the name of two of his titles: the Prince of Asturias Foundation and the Prince of Girona Foundation.

Felipe also presents the Prince of Asturias Awards, which are awarded annually to eight categories related to human progress in various fields at a solemn ceremony in Oviedo, the capital of the Principality of which he was honorary holder.

King of Spain

Official visits during your reign.

Proclamation

The abdication of Juan Carlos I was made public on Monday, June 2, 2014. After the reign of his father, Juan Carlos I, ended, Felipe was proclaimed king on June 19, 2014. The king of Spain is a representative figure. He was proclaimed before the Cortes Generales in the Palacio de las Cortes, in a joint and extraordinary session of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate; In his speech he announced "a renewed monarchy for a new time", in a changing world and a society in full transformation.

Once proclaimed king, Leonor inherited the title of Princess of Asturias and, upon reaching the age of majority, must take an oath to the Constitution before the Cortes, as Felipe VI did in 1986. Juan Carlos I holds the title of king and the dignity of majesty for life, although he will only perform protocol functions. Felipe, in addition to being King of Spain, is the historical heir to numerous titles —most of them only with an honorary character.

First institutional acts

Felipe VI with the President of the United States, Barack Obama in New York. 23 September 2014.

In his first acts as King, together with Queen Letizia, he showed his support for the victims of terrorism, he met with representatives of NGOs —the first reception of the kings was with associations of the collective of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals (LGBT)— and with respect to the previous stage, in certain official acts he allowed the absence of Catholic symbols "in order to comply with the non-denominational nature of the State according to the Constitution".

He also went to Vatican City to meet Pope Francis, and traveled to Portugal, Morocco, and France, as well as having been invited by the Kings of Belgium to commemorate the centenary of the First World War World Cup in Liège, on August 4, 2014. On September 24 of the same year, he traveled to New York to attend the 2014 Climate Summit and the opening of the lxix session of the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization. Between September and December, he made five more official trips, specifically to the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy and Germany. He also attended, in December 2014, the xxiv Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, held in the Mexican city of Veracruz.

External audit, code of ethics and salary reduction

In July 2014, King Felipe adopted different measures, among which he highlighted the commission of an external audit of its accounts carried out by the General State Intervention, making 2015 the first audited year of the budgets of a King of Spain. The spokesman for the King's House stressed that the transparency law that came into force in January 2015 does not require external auditing and that the measure obeys exclusively the will of the monarch.

Felipe also prohibited his family members from working for companies, having businesses in the private sector, or engaging in any other job other than institutional representation. He also commissioned a code of conduct for the staff of La Zarzuela, in accordance with the new transparency law and requested an agreement between the Crown and the State Attorney General's Office to have permanent legal advice "to ensure that all their activity [that of the King] conforms to the law".

In February 2015, Felipe VI decided to lower his salary by 20%, going on to earn €234,204, €58,548 less than what his father Juan Carlos I received as head of state. As declared by the Casa del Rey itself, to make this decision Felipe consulted the amounts received by the representatives of the high Spanish institutions and those of other European heads of state.

On June 12, the King withdrew the title of Duchess of Palma de Mallorca from his sister, the Infanta Cristina, which King Juan Carlos had granted her on the occasion of her wedding to Iñaki Urdangarín, due to the Nóos case.

Official agenda in 2015-2017

Felipe VI with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. 19 October 2015.

On January 6, 2015, the king and queen went to the Royal Palace to preside over Military Easter for the first time. On January 27, Felipe VI presided over, at the Senate Palace, the act on the occasion of the Official Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and the Prevention of Crimes against Humanity. From March 1 to 3, Felipe VI and Letizia received the President and First Lady of Colombia on a state visit. On May 11, Felipe VI held a meeting at the Royal Palace with the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella. From July 7 to 8, the king and queen received the president and the first lady of Peru, on a state visit. Felipe VI and Letizia, together with the kings Juan Carlos I and Sofía, attended on October 8 at the Monastery of El Escorial the mass unburied by the infant Carlos de Borbón-Dos Sicilias and his funeral, also celebrated in the monastery, On November 12. On the 19th and 20th of the same month, Felipe and Letizia received Kings Abdalá and Rania of Jordan on the occasion of the Hashemite monarch's business trip to Spain. On December 3, the King visited the new headquarters of the Chancellery of the Orders of San Fernando and San Hermenegildo, located in the "Princess Complex" of the Ministry of Defense. It was decided that the King's Christmas message would be recorded in the throne room of the Royal Palace of Madrid and not in the Palacio de la Zarzuela, as had been done. However, the following year, it was decided to return to the usual scenario.

In that same year, the foreign agenda took Felipe VI to Riyadh to present his condolences for the death of the King of Saudi Arabia, on January 24; Addis Ababa to participate in the Summit of the African Union, on January 30; Brussels, to visit the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission; France, from March 24 to 26 and from June 2 to 4; Copenhagen on the occasion of the 75th birthday of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, on April 15; Aachen to attend the presentation to Martin Schulz of the International Charlemagne Prize, on May 13 and 14; Mexico, June 29 and July 1; the United States, in September, also attending the United Nations Summit in New York for the adoption of the Post-2015 Agenda; and Berlin to chair together with President Joachim Gauck the VIII Meeting of the Spanish-German Forum, on November 18.

In 2016, Felipe VI's official agenda was marked by the political situation in Spain. For the first time in the history of modern democracy in Spain, on May 3, 2016, the provisions of article 99.5 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 were activated and Felipe VI had to sign the dissolution of the Cortes Generales and the convocation of elections after no candidate obtained the confidence of Congress to be sworn in as Prime Minister after two months. After the general elections of 2016, on July 19, 2016, the two Chambers were constituted and the XII legislature of Spain was inaugurated. In the constitutive session in Congress, the deputy Ana Pastor was elected president of the Congress of Deputies. The king held rounds of contacts at the Palacio de la Zarzuela with the representatives appointed by the political groups with parliamentary representation, including Mariano Rajoy (Popular Party), Pedro Sánchez (Socialist Party), Albert Rivera (Ciudadanos) or Pablo Iglesias (Can). On October 25, Ana Pastor attended the audience with the king to receive Mariano Rajoy's proposal as a candidate for the Presidency of the Government. On October 31, Mariano Rajoy was sworn in as Prime Minister before King Felipe VI and on November 4 the ministers were sworn in.

State visit of the president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri. In the image, Macri next to his wife, Juliana Awada and the kings Philip and Letizia.

As is traditional, the first official act of 2017 was Military Easter at the Royal Palace of Madrid held on the morning of January 6. It was attended by the king and queen, who presided over the event, who were accompanied by the Prime Minister, the Defense and Interior Ministers and the Chief of the Defense Staff. After the military act in the Patio de Armas of the Royal Palace, inside, the King decorated numerous soldiers for their work during 2016. Here, both Felipe VI and María Dolores de Cospedal, Minister of Defense, delivered speeches with a marked rejection of terrorism. Felipe VI resumed his foreign agenda with the trip to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), at the invitation of King Salmán bin Abdulaziz, which lasted from January 14 to 17. On the official visit, the King was accompanied by the Ministers of Public Works, Íñigo de la Serna and of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Alfonso Dastis, as well as by the Secretaries of State for Defence, Agustín Conde; of Infrastructures, Transport and Housing, Julio Gómez Pomar and of Commerce, María Luisa Poncela. It was a trip with a marked political and economic character.

After Saudi Arabia, some state visits were resumed, which had been left pending due to political instability, such as the one the King and Queen made to Japan between April 3 and 7, where they were received by Emperor Akihito and his wife, Empress Michiko. He highlighted the state visit that the President of Argentina, Mauricio Macri and his wife Juliana made to Spain at the end of February. Taking advantage of the close ties between the two countries, it was decided to modify the protocol for this type of visit by transferring the reception of the foreign heads of state from the Palacio del Pardo to the Plaza de la Armería of the Royal Palace of Madrid to endow them with greater solemnity. However, they had the improvidence to place the cannons that fired the ordinance salvoes in the same square, causing it to fill with smoke when the national anthems were being performed and at the beginning of the review.

On August 18, Felipe VI, together with the President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont and the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, accompanied by more than one hundred thousand people, held a minute of Silence in Plaza de Catalunya in Barcelona at 12 in the morning as a sign of condemnation of the attack and in memory of the fatalities of the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils.

State trip to the United Kingdom

From July 12 to 14, 2017, the King and Queen of Spain made a state visit to the United Kingdom, which had been postponed twice: the first time in March 2016, due to the political crisis in Spain and the second in May 2017, due to the advancement of the British elections.

On Wednesday morning, the 12th, Prince Charles of Wales and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, came to greet them. From there, they proceeded to Horse Guards Parade, where they were officially received by Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, with military honors and salutes. The anthems of the two countries sounded and the king reviewed the English Guard formed there. Next, they moved to Buckingham Palace where they visited the Picture Gallery. In the afternoon, the king and queen went to the United Kingdom Parliament where Felipe VI addressed a few words in the joint session and held an informal meeting with the leader of the Labor opposition, Jeremy Corbyn. In the evening, the State Dinner, hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in honor of the King and Queen of Spain, took place in the Gala Hall of Buckingham Palace.

On Thursday the 13th, there was a Spanish-British business meeting (UK-SPAIN Business Forum) at Mansion House, with the presence of the Mayor of the City of London, Andrew Parmley, and an important business delegation from both countries. Subsequently, the kings traveled to Westminster Abbey accompanied by Prince Henry of Wales. There, the king made an offering at the tomb of the unknown soldier. At mid-morning, they went to the Spanish Embassy in London, where they received representatives of the Spanish community residing in the English capital and where, previously, they had had a brief meeting with the families of Ignacio Echeverría and Aysha Frade, murdered in the London terrorist attacks. Subsequently, the King moved to 10 Downing Street, where he had a working lunch with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, in which they discussed matters of bilateral interest. Thursday's day was completed with a gala dinner offered by the Mayor of London in honor of the Kings, in Guildhall.

On Friday the 14th, the King and Queen were officially bid farewell by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, at the gates of Buckingham Palace. Subsequently, Felipe VI and Letizia moved to the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research center that houses the largest individual biomedical laboratory in Europe. Later they went to Oxford to tour the Weston Library, where they were shown a manuscript of the Mendoza Codex, they contemplated a copy of a Ptolemy, with the coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs, and an original copy of a first edition of Don Quixote. At noon, Oxford University hosted a luncheon in his honour. Finally, they held a meeting at Exeter College with a representation of the University's academic community, including professors, postgraduate students and doctoral students linked to Spain.

Visit of the President of the State of Israel

On November 6 and 7, Reuven Rivlin, President of Israel, and his wife Nechama made a state visit to Spain. They were received by the King and Queen in the Plaza de la Armería of the Royal Palace, after having a private meeting and lunch at the Zarzuela Palace, they moved to the Royal Palace where a gala dinner took place preceded by the traditional hand kiss. In his speech, referring to the conflict in Catalonia, President Rivlin stated that Spain & # 34; is one country for us & # 34; and the king "symbol of unity". For his part, Felipe VI reiterated the commitment of Spanish diplomacy to the solution of the two States, the Israeli and Palestinian ones.

The following day, the President of Israel visited Madrid City Hall to receive the Villa's Golden Key from Manuela Carmena. The presidential couple went to the Senate and the Congress of Deputies, where the Hebrew head of state received the medals of both chambers, delivering two speeches. He also visited the Real Madrid Museum, located in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, and inaugurated the Hispano-Israeli Business Meeting, held at the CEOE headquarters.

President Rivlin held a private meeting with representatives of Jewish communities in Spain and wanted to visit Toledo. The visit concluded with a reception and subsequent dinner, offered to the King and Queen by President Rivlin and his wife at the Palacio del Pardo.

Speech of October 3, 2017

Background

On September 6, 2017, the Parliament of Catalonia approved the calling of a binding referendum on the independence of Catalonia, with the votes in favor of the parliamentarians of Junts pel Sí and the CUP. They refused to vote on the convocation law, except for Catalunya Sí, which is Pot, which abstained. According to the text, independence would be proclaimed two days after the publication of the official results if the "Yes" obtained more votes than the " No", without requiring a minimum percentage of participation in voting.

Despite being suspended by the Constitutional Court, on October 1, 2017, without any legal guarantee, the referendum was held. The Generalitat of Catalonia established the percentage of votes in favor of independence at 90% and the percentage of participation at 43%. These results were widely questioned both due to the irregularities detected during the process and the lack of ratification by a body independent.

In the following days, the King held meetings with the President of the Government and different leaders of other parties, in addition to canceling the public events and hearings that he had scheduled between October 2 and 8. It was agreed with the Government, which had not made any public statement, that Felipe VI would address the Spanish people at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 3, a decision that was made public at 6:25 p.m. on the same day.

Message

In his institutional message, the king, who was addressing the Spanish for the first time outside the Christmas period, began by indicating that "certain authorities in Catalonia, in a reiterated, conscious and deliberate manner", had been failing to comply with the Constitution and its Statute of Autonomy. He highlighted the "inadmissible disloyalty" of these authorities, by breaking the democratic principles of the rule of law, undermining harmony and coexistence in Catalan society, and thus causing its division. He denounced the "unacceptable attempt to appropriate the historical institutions of Catalonia" by these public officials and their claim to break the unity of Spain and national sovereignty, which is the "right of all Spaniards to democratically decide their lives in common." ».

Addressing later expressly to the Catalan citizens, the king reiterated that the democratic State in which Spain is registered "offers the constitutional paths so that any person can defend their ideas within the respect of the law", reminding them that without respect there will be no there is possible democratic coexistence in peace and freedom. He also expressed that in Spain democratic principles are strong "because they are based on the desire of millions and millions of Spaniards to live together in peace and freedom."

Lastly, he underscored the Crown's commitment to the Constitution and democracy, his personal commitment to the unity and permanence of Spain, and his dedication to understanding and concord among Spaniards.

Reactions

The speech was supported by constitutionalist parties and was highly criticized by pro-independence parties. On October 27, the Parliament of Catalonia approved a unilateral declaration of independence from Spain, which would be suspended by the Constitutional Court on October 31 and canceled the following November 8.

At the same time, Mariano Rajoy studied with his government the measures that would be applicable to "return the autonomy of Catalonia to the paths of legality", and on October 27, after a necessary process of several days, he obtained the support of the Senate to the invocation of article 155. Once approved, the president proceeded to formally dissolve the Parliament of Catalonia, dismissed the Executive Council of Catalonia and called regional elections to be held two months later, on December 21.

Official agenda in 2018-2020

Imposition of the Golden Toy to the Princess of Asturias.

On January 30, 2018, King Felipe VI imposed on the Princess of Asturias the necklace of the Order of the Golden Fleece that he had awarded her on October 30, 2015, the eve of her heiress' tenth birthday.

In the month of April, from the 16th to the 18th, the King and Queen of Spain received Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal, who made a state visit to Spain.

Following the ruling of the National Court that condemned the Popular Party in the Gürtel case for corruption, together with the resignation of the president of the Community of Madrid Cristina Cifuentes for the "Master case" (April 25) and the detection of Eduardo Zaplana —former president of the Valencian Community— for money laundering (May 22), the leader of the PSOE, Pedro Sánchez, promoted a motion of censure against Rajoy that was voted on Friday, June 1. Finally, 180 deputies supported her against 169 and one abstention.That same day, Felipe VI signed the Royal Decree appointing Pedro Sánchez as Prime Minister, promising his position at the Palacio de la Zarzuela the following day.

From June 14 to 19, 2018, the king and queen paid a visit to the United States visiting the cities of New Orleans and San Antonio (Texas) on the occasion of the third centenary of the founding of both towns, which were linked to the Spanish crown. On the 18th they moved to Washington D.C., where Felipe VI paid a visit to the World Bank and the royal couple were received at the White House by President Donald Trump and his wife Melania.

On September 8 and 9, the Princess of Asturias made her first official trip to the Principality of Asturias together with her parents and sister, a symbolic act that begins the official agenda of the heir to the Crown, just as her father did in 1977. The royal family went to Covadonga, listening to a solemn mass in the basilica and paying a visit to the Virgin in the Santa Cueva.

On October 17, Felipe VI attended the celebration of the centenary of the Madrid Metro, photographing himself next to the historic car, used at the inauguration by his great-grandfather King Alfonso XIII.

In November, on the 11th, the King attended the commemorative ceremony of the Centennial of the Armistice that ended the First World War on the Western Front, held in Paris.

From the 12th to the 14th, King Felipe and King Letizia made a state visit to Peru, invited by President Martín Vizcarra and the First Lady, Maribel Díaz Cabello, staying in the city of Lima. During this visit, the King received the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit for Distinguished Services, the second most important in the country after the El Sol del Perú Order, which is awarded out of courtesy to foreign leaders and Peruvian and foreign citizens. other countries for services to Peru. In addition to signing several bilateral agreements, the monarchs were received in the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima and Felipe VI visited the Congress of the Republic. The Heads of State of both countries attended a Business Economic Forum. The king was also at the Technical Cooperation Office of the Spanish Embassy and at a Repsol refinery. After the state visit, Felipe VI went to the city of La Antigua (Guatemala) to participate in the XXVI Ibero-American Summit.

At the end of the same month, from the 27th to the 29th, Felipe VI and Queen Letizia received the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan on a state visit, to celebrate the XLV anniversary of the establishment of relations diplomacy between the two countries. During the first day, the visitors were received at the Royal Palace of Madrid and paid a visit to the Town Hall, where the Chinese president received the keys to the Villa. The Queen and the First Lady of China paid a visit to the Royal Theatre, ending the day with a gala dinner. Xi Jinping also held a meeting with President Pedro Sánchez, taking advantage of the Chinese president's stay to strengthen relations between the two countries through projects such as the Silk Road.

On December 1, Felipe VI was present in Mexico City at the inauguration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador as president of Mexico. After the ceremony, the king and the president met in private, being the first foreign leader that the Mexican president received.

On December 6, Felipe VI and Letizia accompanied by the Princess of Asturias, the Infanta Sofía and the emeritus kings Juan Carlos I and Sofía attended the Congress of Deputies to preside over the solemn act on the occasion of the XL anniversary of the Constitution This act was preceded by a concert at the National Music Auditorium the day before, which was also presided over by the Kings.

The first official visit of the kings in 2019 was held in Morocco, with the rank of state visit and took place on February 13 and 14. Eleven bilateral agreements were signed and the king held meetings with Mohamed VI, the head of government, Saadeddine Othmani, the president of the House of Representatives, and the president of the House of Councillors.

Felipe VI and Queen Letizia received the President of the Republic of Peru, Martín Vizcarra, and the First Lady, Maribel Díaz Cabello, who made a state visit to Spain on February 27 and 28.

Commemorative event of the 175th anniversary of the Guardia Civil.

Between March 24 and 26, the King and Queen of Spain made a state visit to Argentina. During their arrival, the Air Force plane that was carrying them starred in an anecdote, when one of its wings brushed against the windshield of one of the official planes of the Argentine Presidency, known as Tango 04. In addition, the king and queen had to wait on the plane for almost an hour, since they did not have a ladder with the appropriate height. After the visit, which took place in Buenos Aires, they moved to the Argentine city of Córdoba, where they attended the inauguration of the VIII International Congress of the Spanish Language (CILE).

On May 13, Felipe VI and Queen Letizia presided over the military parade and parade on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the Civil Guard in the Plaza de la Armería. More than 900 civil guards intervened, in addition to a section of the cavalry squadron, a fixed-wing aircraft, four helicopters and several motorcycles and vehicles from the different specialties of the Civil Guard. Also participating was a company from the Royal Guard, others from the Army, the Air Force and the Navy, a Section of the French National Gendarmerie, the Carabinieri Weapon, the Guardia di Finanza, the Portuguese National Republican Guard and the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie.

On the 30th of the same month, Felipe VI decided not to attend, nor to send a representative on his behalf, the renewal ceremony of the consecration of Spain to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the occasion of its centenary since it was carried out by King Alfonso XIII. The refusal occurred despite the existence of communications between the Casa del Rey and the Diocese of Getafe, and the fact that thousands of citizens had also requested it through a letter.

During the first week of June, the king held consultations with the political groups that had obtained representation in the Congress of Deputies in the elections held in April. Pedro Sánchez, the candidate proposed by the king, failed to obtain the confidence of the chamber on July 25, which forced the repetition of the elections.

On June 29 and July 1, Felipe VI was in Panama, on the occasion of the V centenary of the founding of Panama City, taking advantage of the stay to attend the inauguration of President Laurentino Cortizo Cohen.

On August 31, the King attended the confirmation of his goddaughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, which was held in the chapel of the Royal Palace in Oslo.

On October 18, Kings Felipe and Letizia, Queen Sofía and Infanta Sofía accompanied the Princess of Asturias, who gave her first speech at the Princess of Asturias Awards. During the ceremony, Felipe VI urged her to his daughter and heiress to always behave "courageously and bravely" and to renew "permanently" her commitment to the Spanish.

Between Sunday, October 20, and Tuesday, October 22, the king and queen traveled to Japan to attend the enthronement ceremony for Emperor Naruhito. On Monday the 21st, the king held a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Akasaka Palace. During the ceremony and subsequent gala dinner, which took place on the 22nd, Felipe VI wore the necklace and plaque of the Order of the Chrysanthemum and Queen Letizia the plaque and sash of the Order of the Precious Crown. From Japan, the kings flew to Seoul for a state visit to South Korea, which took place on the 23rd and 24th.

From November 11 to 14, Felipe VI and Letizia made a state visit to Cuba taking advantage of the celebrations of the V Centenary of the founding of the city of Havana. During the visit, the King met with President Miguel Díaz-Canel, a cooperation agreement was signed until the year 2022, and the historian Eusebio Leal was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos III. This visit was criticized by the opposition parties in Spain and by Cuban opponents as Felipe VI did not speak out in favor of the democratization of the island and the release of the prisoners for his opposition to the regime.

On Tuesday the 10th and Wednesday the 11th of December, the king held consultations with the political groups that had obtained representation in the Congress of Deputies in the general elections that had been repeated on November 10th.

On January 7, 2020, Felipe VI signed the Royal Decree appointing Pedro Sánchez as President of the Government, promising his position in the Palacio de la Zarzuela the following day. On the 13th, the ministers of the coalition government PSOE, PSC and Unidas Podemos.

On January 10, Kings Felipe VI and Letizia, accompanied by Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, attended the burial of the ashes of the Infanta Pilar, who expressed her wish to be buried next to her husband in the cemetery of San Isidro de Madrid instead of in the Pantheon of Infants of the Monastery of El Escorial. On January 29, a funeral was held in the basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial presided over by the kings of Spain. The children and grandchildren of the Infanta the kings Juan Carlos and Sofía, the infantas Elena and Cristina, the vice president Carmen Calvo and other Spanish authorities. Among the rest of the attendees, Beatriz of the Netherlands stood out, forty years before the Infanta Pilar had attended the ceremony of her enthronement on behalf of her brother; Princess Astrid of Luxembourg and her husband Carlos Cristián de Austria; the Duke of Braganza; Bulgarian Daisy; Princess Irene of Greece; Ana de Francia, accompanied by the Dukes of Calabria and Luis Alfonso de Borbón with his wife Margarita Vargas.

On Thursday, January 16, the Minister and the Secretary of State for Equality, both from Unidas Podemos, refused to accompany Queen Letizia to a conference on gender violence that was held at the headquarters of the Spanish Red Cross in Madrid, despite being a subject of his department. In his place, the Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, a socialist, attended. The first public act of the kings together with a member of the United Podemos government was also carried out by the queen, on February 28, at the Ágora Sociocultural Center in La Coruña. Vice President Pablo Iglesias acted as day minister and the president of the Junta de Galicia also attended.

A week after the event at the Red Cross headquarters, the king traveled to Jerusalem to attend the commemoration event for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz that was held at the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. During his stay held a meeting with President Rivlin and other leaders, within the framework of the International Leaders' Forum. Felipe VI, holding the historical title of King of Jerusalem (under the non præjudicando formula), was in charge of directing a speech on behalf of the foreign authorities attending during the gala dinner that the president of Israel offered at his official residence the night before.

From February 28 to March 1, Felipe VI made an official trip to Montevideo representing Spain at the inauguration of the new president, Luis Lacalle Pou. He took the opportunity to hold two meetings with the outgoing and elected presidents and receive the Spanish community at the ambassador's residence in Uruguay.

On March 3, the royal couple, along with their daughters, presided over the solemn opening of the XIV legislature at the Palace of Parliament.

On March 11, the king and queen attended the events organized in Paris to commemorate the 16th European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Terrorism, the 1st National Day of Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism in France. During their stay, Felipe and Letizia had lunch at the Élysée Palace with President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.

Exceptional situation due to the coronavirus and criticism of King Juan Carlos

Due to the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government decreed on March 14, 2020, the state of alarm for the entire national territory. The kings had undergone the detection test two days before, since the queen had coincided in a public act with the Minister of Equality, that she was affected although without symptoms. The test returned a negative result for both.

The King's House announced that the public agenda of the Kings was suspended. On March 18, the King chaired a meeting of the Technical Committee for Coronavirus Management of the Spanish government at the Palacio de la Zarzuela. Felipe VI addressed the country in a televised speech motivated by the spread of the pandemic. During the broadcast of his speech, a casserole on the balconies of homes that had been summoned to take place in several Spanish cities, with uneven coverage. through various social networks. A few days before, the collection of 100 million euros had been known, supposedly coming from Saudi commissions, which would have been deposited in the accounts of a foundation that would have King Juan Carlos as a beneficiary. The protesters demanded that Felipe VI renounce his father's inheritance and the donation of the money allegedly obtained to public health. his father the allocation from the public budget. During the spread of the disease, the king visited the IFEMA Hospital, the Operations Command of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, taking advantage of this last visit to address a message of congratulations and encouragement to the State Security Forces and Bodies. Felipe VI received several ministers in audience during the state of alarm. He also held video conferences and phone calls, on occasion with the queen. Among others, he exchanged impressions with the director general of the World Health Organization; the UN Secretary General; various foreign heads of state; Spanish authorities; heads of hospitals, foundations and aid or cooperation associations; employer representatives; associations of farmers, ranchers and merchants; some leaders of large business groups such as Juan Roig and heads of Holy Week brotherhoods. The kings and their daughters, in mourning, observed a minute of silence on May 27 at 12 noon in memory of the victims of the pandemic. This act was carried out in front of the flag that is located in the vicinity of the building for civilian personnel of the Casa del Rey.

On June 17, due to the probable long duration of the sanitary restrictions, for the first time in history the credentials of the new ambassadors of the People's Republic of China, Ethiopia, Italy, Namibia and Vietnam were delivered without carriages, tuxedos, dress uniforms of diplomatic and military personnel or decorations. However, the traditional presentation formula pronounced by the introducer of ambassadors was maintained. The ceremony, in a suit with a tie for gentlemen or a short dress for women and masks, took place in the usual audience room of the Palacio de la Zarzuela and the monarch held the usual interviews with the new foreign representatives in his office. There was a similar precedent at the beginning of the nineties of the XX century, when it was thought of performing this ceremony replacing the carriages by cars when Spain was affected by an outbreak of African horse sickness. In the end, it was postponed at the request of the ambassadors themselves who were going to be accredited and, after a few months, they were able to travel to the Royal Palace of Madrid in the historic saloons pulled by six horses.

On June 23, the King and Queen began a series of informal visits to all the autonomous communities in the Canary Islands with the aim of thanking and learning first-hand about the effort made by Spanish society during the months of March to June due to the coronavirus disease pandemic.

On July 6, Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and their daughters attended the funeral mass for the victims of the pandemic at the Almudena Cathedral, organized by the Permanent Commission of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, with the presence of some relatives of the deceased and concelebrated by the Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid Carlos Osoro together with other bishops from several Spanish dioceses, highlighting the president of the Episcopal Conference. Two days later, in an unprecedented act, the president of the government publicly valued the appearance in the press of the news about an alleged tax evasion by King Juan Carlos of funds deposited in his name in Switzerland and the presence of his signature in the act for the creation of an opaque company.

On July 16, the king and queen and their daughters presided over an act of State tribute to the victims of the pandemic and health workers, organized by the Government, which was held in the Patio de la Armería of the Royal Palace of Madrid. Next to the king, a nurse from the Valle de Hebrón University Hospital spoke a few words, reminding the victims as well as the sacrifice of health personnel and the defense of a public health system in Spain. The ceremony, this time completely secular, brought together the highest levels of the European Union, the World Health Organization or NATO, and representatives of the main national political parties, in addition to all the regional presidents, the full Government and the mayor of Madrid. The chronicle of the act published by the newspaper El Mundo ended with these words:

It's been a while since in Spain there were no such images. All united without distinction. Homage to victims without noise. And the King’s words on the future: “Responsibility, moral strength, determination in the face of adversity and the spirit of overcoming the Spanish people show us the way forward to confront and overcome difficulties. We will overcome them”.

However, there was no shortage of dissenting voices. The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, criticized it, stating that it reminded her of a UN ceremony held in front of a cauldron and regretted the absence of Madrid toilets. The journalists Ramón Pérez-Maura, ABC columnist, and Federico Jiménez Losantos; the historian Alberto Bárcena Pérez and the Vox deputy Iván Espinosa de los Monteros considered that this ceremony exhibited a symbology and scenery typical of Masonic lodges. On the same day 16, the Grand Lodge of Spain had echoed in the social network Twitter of some words pronounced by Felipe VI in this act.

On August 3, the Casa del Rey made public the letter sent to the king by his father. In it he communicated his decision to reside outside of Spain to facilitate the exercise of his duties and to be able to fulfill his "legacy of his, and my own dignity as a person". In the statement it was not clarified if the transfer would be temporary or permanent.A few weeks later several media reported that he had established his residence in Abu Dhabi.

On September 20, the King presided over the commemorative act of the centenary of the Spanish Legion at the “Álvarez de Sotomayor” military base, located in Viator (Almería). Due to the situation caused by the pandemic, public attendance was not allowed and it took place with a reduced formation entry. Felipe VI was accompanied by the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff, General Varela Salas. During the act, the hymns of the unit were sung and the maxims of its founder, Millán-Astray, were read. A tribute was also made to the deceased legionaries along with a replica of the Christ of the Good Death, protector of the unit, ending with a parade of foot and motorized units.

On September 23, it was announced that the king would not be present, for the first time in twenty years, at the act of handing over the offices to the judges at the Judicial School in Barcelona, which would take place two days later. At first, security reasons were cited, but the Government ended up acknowledging that it was responsible for the decision, although it refused to provide explanations, with Vice President Carmen Calvo commenting that there were decisions that were very well taken. The Minister of Justice, Juan Carlos Campo, indicated that it was the Government's obligation to preserve the Crown as an institution in the face of the controversy generated by this news item in the media, the discomfort it caused in the General Council of the Judiciary and suspicions of pressure exerted by the nationalist parties of Catalonia as the approval of the State Budgets is pending. Finally, the new judges' companions could not attend the act, nine of them, who had excused themselves before announcing the absence of Felipe VI, and another five who they declared themselves "disenchanted." The magistrate and member of the Council, José Antonio Ballestero Pascual, shouted a "Long live the King" which was seconded by the attendees and which led Minister Campo to comment to the President of the Council, Carlos Lesmes, "Three mountains have been crossed". The monarch told Carlos Lesmes by telephone that he would have liked to be present at the event, the latter he had expressed his regret at the absence of the head of state at the dispatch ceremony.

King's House

Standard of Felipe VI since his proclamation as king of Spain. In a crimson color and with his coat of arms in the center.

The House of His Majesty the King is the institution that attends to the organization and operation of the residence of the royal family and its institutional activities. The General State Budgets contemplate a specific item to cover the expenses of the Casa del Rey, in accordance with article 65.1 of the Constitution. For the year 2019, 7.99 million euros were budgeted. However, the amount and opacity of these expenses have been questioned by certain media. King Juan Carlos appointed Óscar Moreno Gil as auditor of the Casa del Rey in 2007 to supervise these emoluments.

In addition, the Casa del Rey requested the Government to be included in the transparency law that would enter into force in January 2015 with the greatest possible openness and without any restrictions; in said law it has a status equivalent to the rest of State institutions, such as Congress, the Senate, the Council of State and the Ombudsman.

In March, the King placed the Royal Guard at the service of government activities in the fight against the pandemic.

Titles, honors and appointments

The king, in a uniform of the Navy, in his function as captain general.

The Spanish Constitution, in its Title II, article 56, paragraph 2, designates that the king can use other titles and dignities, generally referring to historical entities and that have traditionally been associated with the Spanish Crown:

• King of Spain.
• Rey de Castilla, de León, de Aragón, de las Dos Sicilias, de Jerusalem, de Navarra, de Granada, de Toledo, de Valencia, de Galicia, de Mallorca, de Sevilla, de Cerdeña, de Córdoba, de Cordoba, de Murcia, de Jaén, de los Algarves, de Algeciras, de Gibraltar, de las Islas Canarias, de las Indies Orientales y Occidentales y de las Islas Firme.
• Archduke of Austria.
• Duke of Burgundy and Brabant, Milan, Athens and Neopatria.
• Marquis de Oristan.
• Conde de Habsburg, de Flandes, del Tirol, de Barcelona, del Rosellón, de la Cerdaña y de Gocéano.
• Mr. Vizcaya and Molina.
• Etc.

You can also use the title of Catholic king.

As head of state, the Spanish Constitution confers on him the supreme command of the Armed Forces, holding the position of captain general, together with the high patronage of the Royal Academies. The king is grand master of the military and other orders minor military orders or decorations of Spain. He is also honorary president of the Organization of Ibero-American States.

Other data

The City Council of Gijón named him an adoptive son of the city, after 1975. He has also been the honorary president of Club Atlético de Madrid since 2003, recognition granted on the occasion of the club's centenary.

In October 2010, a two-episode series entitled Felipe y Letizia about the relationship between Felipe de Borbón and Letizia Ortiz premiered on the Spanish network Telecinco.

Hobbies

Felipe plays sports such as squash and skiing. Regarding the sport of sailing, in 1989 and 1990 his boat was first in the Spanish championship in the soling class and he also won the Spanish Cup. In 1990 he finished fifth in the world sailing championship, his qualifications in the World Championship allowed him to be selected on January 27, 1992 to participate in the Olympic Games. On March 15, 1992, his boat achieved victory in the Spanish Olympic Class Sailing Cup, thus ensuring its qualification for the Olympics.At the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 he was the standard bearer for the Spanish Olympic delegation and participated in the games. He finished sixth in the sailing soling class, for which he received an Olympic diploma.

Ancestors

Predecessor: Juan Carlos de Borbón Prince of Asturias Prince of Spain	Prince of Asturias 1977-2014	Successor: Leonor de Borbón
Predecessor: Cristina de Borbón 1988	Spanish fans in the Olympic Summer Games 1992	Successor: Luis Doreste 1996
Predecessor: Juan Carlos I	King of Spain Since 19 June 2014	Successor: -