Thread: Snacks, no banquet, for frugal new Spanish king <--- "That takes Class"

Snacks, no banquet, for frugal new Spanish king

By CIARAN GILES and BARRY HATTON 2 hours ago

Spain's Popular Prince Must Charm Catalonia As King




MADRID (AP) — Crown Prince Felipe ascended to the Spanish throne at midnight Wednesday, but there weren't any ritzy official celebrations.
The economic crisis that has left a quarter of Spaniards out of work prompted Europe's newest king to be relatively frugal at his proclamation.
The crown prince's father, 76-year-old Juan Carlos, misjudged public anger at financial hardship when he went on an elephant-hunting safari in Africa. Felipe, 46, appears keen to show he's more in tune with his countrymen — and avoid the mistakes of his abdicating predecessor.
The landmark occasion was perhaps most notable for what it didn't include: no state banquet, no foreign royals or heads of state, no ostentatious ceremonies or parades.
By royal standards, it was humble: reception guests were being served hot and cold tapas-style nibbles, to be eaten while standing. There was no champagne, just sparkling cava wine from Spain's Catalonia region.
"More than anything this is a message. What they want to say is: 'We're in a moment when sobriety in spending shows a certain sense of solidarity in a time of economic difficulty,'" Navarra University history professor Pablo Perez Lopez said.
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(L-R) Spain's Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia attend a reception marking Spain's Ar …

Juan Carlos on Wednesday signed legislation, approved by Parliament earlier this month, setting out the legal framework for the handover. The retiring monarch, who underwent a hip replacement operation last November, used a walking cane and moved with difficulty during the televised signing ceremony.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy immediately ratified the law, which went into force at midnight in Spain (2200 GMT).
Felipe is to be formally proclaimed monarch and swear an oath at a ceremony with lawmakers in Parliament on Thursday. It will be a no-frills event, though the 18th-century Spanish crown and 17th-century scepter will be on display.
After a brief military parade, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will take a drive through expected crowds along some of Madrid's most emblematic streets and monuments — such as the Prado Museum and the Cibeles fountain.
The palace acknowledged that the customary pomp had been eliminated "in keeping with the criteria of austerity that the times recommend."
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A woman hangs a Spanish flag on her balcony in front of the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday …

The reasoning behind that choice is easy to understand, says Emilio de Diego Garcia, history professor at Madrid's Complutense University.
"In a time when every expense is examined with a magnifying glass, particularly public money, any ostentation would have been criticized," he said.
Juan Carlos announced his surprise decision to abdicate on June 2, saying he was stepping aside after a four-decade reign to allow for younger royal blood to rally the country that is still trying to shrug off a double-dip recession and a 26 percent jobless rate.
During most of his reign, the monarch was held in high esteem for his role in helping steer the country from military dictatorship to democracy. He took over the throne in 1975, two days after the death of longtime dictator Gen. Francisco Franco, and then endeared himself to many by making army rebels stand down during an attempted military coup in 1981.
More recently, however, the royal family's image was tarnished by Juan Carlos' 2012 Botswana hunting trip. Another scandal saw Juan Carlos' youngest daughter, Princess Cristina, testify this year in the fraud and money-laundering case engulfing her husband, the Olympic handball medalist turned businessman Inaki Urdangarin.
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Soldiers rehearse outside the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, a day before …

Juan Carlos won broad support for his handling of Spain's 20th-century challenges. Felipe VI must now address Spain's 21st-century difficulties.
Keeping the bill down for taxpayers is just one of the challenges facing the new king.
Much more pressing will be whether he can keep the country united as separatist movements, such as those in Catalonia and the Basque region, try to pull the country apart. Such an unraveling could place the monarchy itself in danger.
The abdication announcement initially triggered widespread demonstrations calling for a referendum on reinstating a republic. But a recent poll found that while 62 percent of respondents said they wanted a referendum on the monarchy "at some point," 49 percent said they favored a monarchy with Felipe as king, while only 36 percent wanted a republic. Others did not answer or expressed no opinion.
Felipe holds a law degree from Madrid's Autonomous University and obtained a master's in international relations from Georgetown University in Washington. His wife is a former television journalist and a divorced commoner. Many people feel that record will help make Felipe more attuned to the public mood.
Diego Garcia, the Complutense professor, believes Spain is going to see "a more austere monarchy, one closer to the people and the reality of the country."
The 2,000 guests invited to the royal reception were from a wide range of Spanish society, including Madrid ambassadors as well as representatives from the business, cultural, media and sports sectors.
Authorities have prohibited a planned demonstration in Madrid on Thursday by people demanding an end to the monarchy.
The palace said it had no information on the overall cost of the events, which will be overseen by some 7,000 police.
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Hatton contributed from Lisbon, Portugal.

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(L-R) Spain's Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia attend a reception marking Spain's Armed Forces Day at the Royal palace in Madrid on June 8, 2014 (AFP Photo/Andrea Comas)

Meet Princess Letizia: Spain's Glamorous Next Queen

June 4, 2014
By COLLEEN CURRY
Reporter
12 Comments

Princess Letizia of Spain attends the wedding ceremony of Prince Guillaume Of Luxembourg, Oct. 20, 2012, in Luxembourg.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

The glamorous Princess Letizia of Spain has already drawn comparisons to another fashionable, beautiful royal -- England's Kate Middleton -- but Spain's favorite royal will be the first to ascend the throne.
The Incredibly Fabulous Life of Spain’s Prince Felipe
Spanish King Juan Carlos announced earlier this week that he was abdicating his throne and would be replaced by his son, Letizia's husband, Prince Felipe.

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PHOTO: Princess Letizia of Spain attends 'Feriarte 2010' at IFEMA, Nov. 19, 2010, in Madrid.

All eyes quickly pivoted to Princess Letizia Ortiz, the chic former journalist who has been a star in Spain's fashion world for years. Online fashion blogs are devoted to covering her every outfit.

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PHOTO: Princess Letizia of Spain with Pope Benedict XVI, Nov. 6, 2010, in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

The 41-year-old was not born to a noble family and became a career woman after university. She married a teacher, but the pair divorced in 1999.

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PHOTO: Princess Letizia of Spain attends the 'El Barco de Vapor' and 'Gran Angular' children and youth literary awards ceremony at the Real Casa de Correos, April 1, 2014, in Madrid.

Ortiz was working as TV news anchor when she met her second husband, Prince Felipe, and the couple married in 2004. Ortiz left her career after marrying Felipe.

Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images

PHOTO: Princess of Asturias, Letizia Ortiz and her husband Spanish Crown Prince Felipe of Bourbon wave to the crowd after their their wedding ceremony, May 22, 2004.

The couple has two daughters Leonor, 8, and Sofia, 7.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/...ry?id=23994400

Childhood changes for Spain's eight-year-old queen-to-be

By Roland Lloyd Parry June 8, 2014 12:14 AM



Madrid (AFP) - Like many eight-year-old girls, she eats in the school canteen and goes to ballet class. Her friends know her as Leonor -- but soon they will have to call her "Highness".
Her childhood will not be the same now that her grandfather Juan Carlos is stepping down as king of Spain.
Once her father Felipe is crowned king, she will no longer be "Infanta", but Princess -- and one day Queen. She will be the youngest direct royal heir in Europe.
She will step out for the cameras to zoom in on her blue eyes, blonde hair and toothy smile. Royal-watchers say those may be just the charms the Spanish royal family needs to save its image.
"Until now, her parents have deliberately protected her so that she is not in the papers all the time. Those days are over," said the prince's biographer, Jose Apezarena.
"They will still try to minimise the impact on her personal life, but soon she is going to be the heir to the throne. It will change her life," he added.
"I feel a bit sorry for her because the change is going to take away some of her freedom."
- 'Normal' childhood -
Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia were already darlings of the celebrity press when Leonor was born on October 31, 2005. Letizia, an ex-newsreader, has made countless front pages.


Picture released by the Spanish Royal House on September 15, 2012 shows Spanish Crown Prince Felipe …

The births of Leonor and her sister Sofia, who is now seven, turned them into possibly the cutest royal family in the world: a tall prince, glamorous mother and two little girls with long blonde hair.
The couple have kept their daughters largely out of view so their childhoods can be as normal as possible.
The few glimpses of the girls allowed by the palace have shown them smiling as they hold hands with their mother and father or their grandmother, Queen Sofia.
"Leonor is a very intelligent child, very active but calm. She faces the cameras with great serenity," said Apezarena.
"She is very caring towards her sister. She makes sure to give her advice and help," he said.
"She does the same things as her classmates, eats in school, goes to ballet class, and studies English."
She is said to speak good English, learned from her grandmother and a British nanny as well as at Holy Mary of the Rose Bushes, her expensive private school in western Madrid.
- Learning who you are -


Princess Leonor, daughter of the Spanish Crown Prince, sits in a car in Palma de Mallorca on August …

History is changing the childhood routines of Leonor de Borbon y Ortiz, however.
Just weeks before the king announced his abdication, Leonor made her first official royal outing.
In a white cardigan and green shorts, she stood beside her father in his blue air force uniform to watch a ceremonial fly-past on May 2.
Royal-watchers say the timing was not random. Juan Carlos, 76, had already decided to step aside and the outing was the start of Leonor's new higher-profile role as future heir to the throne.
When Felipe is crowned, Letizia will become queen and Leonor will take the title Princess of Asturias.
She is expected to follow the same preparation for the crown as her father did, with military training when she is older. At 18, she must swear loyalty to the king and the constitution.
"They have been explaining to her for some time who she is, who her parents and grandparents are, and what their role is in the country," said Apezarena, who has written several books about the prince's family.
"She has been listening to that, but she is still very young."
- Pretty face, saving face -
Behind the walls of the royal Zarzuela Palace and Holy Mary of the Rose Bushes, Leonor may hear little of the noisy street protests by those who want Spain to be a republic.
Spain's main political forces, the ruling Popular Party and opposition Socialists, back Felipe's succession however and are expected to speed it through parliament, with the new king likely to be sworn in on June 19.
Felipe will then have to win over Spaniards fed up at corruption scandals and two recessions.
For that, the new heiress could be one of his biggest assets.
"Whenever the infantas Leonor and Sofia appear in public, they win the affection of the people. They are very pretty girls and seem very well brought up," Apezarena said.
"We are going to be seeing a lot more of those images from now on, and they are going to help the new king to win over the people."

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