King Juan Carlos met today with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud to express his condolences for the recent death of Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz.
Meanwhile, Prince Felipe presided over the 200th anniversary of the Supreme Court, which was created by the Cádiz Cortes as a result of the Cádiz Constitution.
King Juan Carlos will travel to Saudi Arabia this week to meet with the Royal Family there and express his condolences over the death of Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, a half brother of King Abdullah, according to Spanish media outlets.
Don Juan Carlos is close to the Saudi rulers, a relationship that has helped Spain cement economic ties with that country.
The trip abroad means the King will miss the ceremony to mark 200th anniversary of the Supreme Court. Coincidentally, the Court’s president has been involved in a scandal over lavish trips.
Prince Felipe will take his father’s place at the event.
Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia will visit the U.S. next week to reinforce bilateral relations.
The Prince and Princess of Asturias will visit New York and Boston, including Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. They will meet Spanish business leaders and hold discussions about American relations with the Iberoamerican world.
Prince and Princess of Asturias
Princess Letizia also plans to visit an elementary school to promote the Spanish language.
A trip to Washington, however, does not appear on the calendar.
King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia
Also next week, King Juan Carlos will visit Civil Guard installations in Algeciras near Gibraltar. The visit has broader political implications with Spain calling for talks with the United Kingdom on Gibraltar’s political status and a dispute over fishing rights in the area.
Later this summer members of the Royal Family will rest at Marivent Palace in Palma de Mallorca. However, the Duke and Duchess of Palma won’t be there, according to media reports. The Duke Iñaki Urdangarin remains under investigation for corruption allegations.
His Majesty received credentials from Roberto Eduardo Arango of Panama, Bakyt Dyussenbayev of Kazakhstan, Paulo Da Silva of Guinea-Bissau, Emmanuelle Restelli of San Marino and Russia’s Yuri P. Korchagin.
Today King Juan Carlos presided over the swearing-in of new Bank of Spain governor Luis María Linde de Castro. The ceremony at Zarzuela Palace comes amid a planned European capital injection into the troubled Spanish banking system.
Luis María Linde de Castro swore allegiance to the King while touching a copy of the Constitution and the Bible. A crucifix was also present according to custom.
The Bible, property of Charles IV, was open to the Book of Numbers. The Constitution was open to the section on the economy.
Media reports noted the King’s comments: “What times!”
King Juan Carlos is once again sounding off on the troubles in Europe and the extremely delicate Spanish economy.
In a visit to Chile yesterday, His Majesty said the problems in Europe are not economic but political. He talked about the robust nature of the continent’s finances compared to other places.
“Europe requires austerity and discipline,” he said. “But austerity alone will not save Europe.”
The King talked about the “unprecedented” reforms that the Spanish government has implemented in recent months. He said his country was starting to regain its competitiveness.
Don Juan Carlos met with Chilean President Sebastián Piñera. Like in Brazil, he took a swipe at Argentina by highlighting Chile’s commitment to the rule of law. Argentina recently expropriated a local branch of Spanish oil giant Repsol.
His Majesty today met with the leaders of Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Panama and Costa Rica. Media outlets are saying the King is back as Spain’s top champion.
“I am not at all tired,” he said, according to Spanish media.
Prince and Princess of Asturias at event in Navarre.
Other members of the Royal Family, including Price Felipe and Princess Letizia, have been “holding down the fort” taking care of public events in Spain while the King is away.
The King, on his first foreign trip in months, met with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff at Planalto Palace. She hosted a lunch in his honor at Itamaraty Palace.
His Majesty reminded Rousseff about the upcoming Iberoamerican summit in Cádiz. The Monarch is trying to round up as many Latin American leaders to attend.
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, accompanied by Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia, reviewed a military parade and other demonstrations during the official commemoration of Spanish Armed Forces Day at the Plaza Mayor in Valladolid.
Almost 200 events were planned starting yesterday all around Spain and in the North African enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta to honor those who died or served in the different military branches. The Royal Family also visited with family members of the fallen. Spain has offered military support to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Spanish press is talking up the Monarch’s reappearance in public after his hip surgery and noted his difficulty walking. Journalists noted that the King remained standing up during the ceremonies.
Don Juan Carlos quipped, “Let’s see if you would have been able to do it.”
Defense Minister Pedro Morenés noted Spain’s relatively low spending on defense and this year’s more austere celebrations because of the economic crisis. Still, there were some anti-monarchist protests.
Click here for more, including video, from El País.
El País is reporting that Duke of Palma Iñaki Urdangarín sometimes uses another one of his last names, Liebaert, when traveling, especially in South America, to stay under the public radar.
The tidbit of information is part of the constant stream of leaks about Infanta Cristina’s husband and the ongoing corruption investigation against him.
Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia on Friday finished a three day official visit to Portugal where they met with political, business, scientific and cultural leaders.
Portuguese leaders also hosted an official dinner for Don Felipe and his wife at Quelúz Palace.
Prince and Princess with Portuguese Prime Minister Passos Coelho and his wife.
The Prince called Portugal a “beloved country” and mentioned his family’s ties to the place. His grandfather, Don Juan de Borbón y Battenberg, the Count of Barcelona, lived in exile in Portugal during the Franco years.
LOS BORBONES 