In the chapter titled An Engaging Monarchy, John Hooper, author of The New Spaniards, provides some insight into why the Bourbon royals are different or seen as different compared to other ruling monarchies. Hooper described a memorial service after the 2004 Madrid terrorist attacks:
When the service ended, the dignitaries prepared to file out, led by the Spanish royal family. But instead of leaving the relatives alone with their grief and incomprehension, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, accompanied by their children and their children’s partners, moved from pew to pew consoling the bereaved.
They clasped the hands of the bereaved, hugged their shoulders and kissed their cheeks. The King embraced a stooped old lady, and bent down to listen to her story. The Queen wept openly. Princess Cristina too sobbed as she hugged mourners.
It is inconceivable that any of the Windsors, for example, would have put their dignity at risk in that fashion.
LOS BORBONES 