As king of Spain, Felipe VI had to deal with the corruption scandals that rocked the end of the reign of his father, Juan Carlos I, and rule during a politically tumultuous time for Spain.
On the occasion of the celebrations of his ten years of reign, King Felipe VI appeared on the balcony of the Royal Palace of Madrid, accompanied by Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, to commemorate his proclamation.
Ten years ago, Felipe VI ascended the throne after the turbulent abdication of his father, Juan Carlos I, following numerous public and private scandals. Since then, the monarch has focused his efforts on restoring the monarchy, transparency and integrity of the institution.
“He’s a good person and what happened is in the past. And I would like the family to be left alone now.”declares a woman in the crowd, reflecting the feeling of many Spaniards gathered this Wednesday in front of the Royal Palace in Madrid.
Institutional renewal
During this decade, the king also had to make painful personal decisions to distance the monarchy from past scandals.
He thus had to sideline his sister, Infanta Cristina, due to corruption cases involving her husband Iñaki Urdangarín, and manage his complicated relationship with his father, who moved to Abu Dhabi in 2020 and still resides outside the Spain.
“He tried to distance himself from all the scandals, leaving the monarchical institution completely out of it. I think he succeeded well”says another participant in the celebration of ten years of reign of Felipe VI.
The future of the monarchy now rests on Princess Leonor, now an adult and who has already taken an oath on the Constitution. The next few years of Felipe VI’s reign will be crucial to restore the population’s confidence in the monarchy and reconnect with Spanish society before passing the throne to his heir.
A tumultuous decade in Spain
One of the greatest challenges of Felipe VI’s reign was the referendum on the independence of Catalonia in 2017, during which the king addressed the nation to defend the unity of Spain.
“I believe that the intervention after the referendum was very beneficial for all Spaniards and was a turning point that prevented the separation of part of Spain”declares one of the participants in the ceremony.
During this decade, Felipe VI has had to navigate a tumultuous political landscape, with five general elections in less than nine yearstesting its ability to maintain the stability and unity of the country.
However, the monarch has received criticism from Catalan pro-independence political parties, who accuse him of insensitivity to what they see as a conflict between Spain and Catalonia, and from part of the Spanish left , who demonstrated a few days ago in Madrid in favor of a republic.
Furthermore, supporters of the far right have accused the monarch of being weak, by not refusing to sign certain decisions of Parliament and the Council of Ministers, such as the recent controversial amnesty law for Catalan activists.
However, according to a survey published by the newspaper “El Español”, 48.3% of Spaniards say they prefer a constitutional monarchy compared to 37.4% who advocate a republicand 70% of citizens consider the institution as a “guarantee of stability” for Spain, according to another poll carried out by the conservative newspaper “La Razón”.
Commemoration day
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the accession to the throne of Felipe VI, the royal family presided over the solemn changing of the guard at the Royal Palace.
The King then attended the award ceremony of the Order of Civil Merit, during which several citizens were decorated in recognition of their personal commitment and social contribution.
“I have adhered – and I will always adhere – to the Constitution and its values in the exercise of my responsibilities. They are a guide for the exercise of my functions”said Felipe VI during the event.
“It was – and it is – the commitment of a constitutional king, which transcends the requirement of duty: it is also on a personal and moral level, as a profound expression of my respect and my loyalty to the Spanish people”he added.
The ceremony took place in the presence of the main state powersnotably the presidents of the government, the Congress of Deputies, the Senate, as well as the ministers of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, among others.