Princess Leonor, heir to the Spanish Crown, celebrated her first communion at school last week along with family.
Pictures of the actual ceremony have yet to emerge, but members of the Royal Family posed for the waiting press outside.
Present were King Felipe and Queen Letizia, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, and Infanta Sofia, among others.
Separately, members of the Royal Family this weekend celebrated the first communion for the children of King Felipe’s cousin, the son of Infanta Pilar, King Juan Carlos’ sister.
The paternity claims against Don Juan Carlos have been circulating for years, but he King’s former inviolability meant suits could not proceed.
The legal landscape changed when King Juan Carlos abdicated last year in favor of his son Prince Felipe, now King Felipe.
The Spanish government gave the Supreme Court exclusivity in cases dealing with King Juan Carlos and other members of the Royal Family as a measure of protection against frivolous litigation.
King Juan Carlos remains a deeply admired figure because of his role in restoring democracy in Spain.
However, he thrived more when the media was less keen on reporting about the Royal Family’s private lives.
A recent survey found renewed support for the Crown in Spain under new King Felipe and Queen Letizia, which people identified as among those they most valued.
King Felipe, Queen Letizia, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia offered the family of Banco Santander SA Chairman Emilio Botín their condolences after his death this week.
Don Felipe told reporters that Botín made Santander into “a global bank,” and called him a “great man” who has “done much for Spain.”
The King made his comments during a Supreme Court ceremony to open the 2014-2015 judicial year.
The judicial agenda continues to include the possible trial of the King’s sister Infanta Cristina stemming from an ongoing corruption case against her husband. Both have denied wrongdoing.
The issue stems from his leadership of a non-profit company that obtained contracts with local governments. Judges specializing in corruption, El País reported, will review her potential involvement.
King Juan Carlos and Prince Felipe made a joint appearance today after the King’s abdication announcement yesterday.
Don Juan Carlos and Don Felipe presided over a military ceremony at El Escorial palace complex in the outskirts of Madrid.
Prince Felipe, who was recently in El Salvador for the new president’s swearing-in, is expected to be proclaimed King by the Cortes Generales later this month.
Today Queen Sofia, who was having meetings at the United Nations in New York, when asked about her husband’s abdication said things would continue as usual after the transfer of power.
Of course, there will be major changes.
Media reports indicate that Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina will no longer be members of the Royal Family as they are now.
They will instead be part of the King’s Family and keep their titles of nobility.
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia will remain part of the Royal Family as former Monarchs, but Don Juan Carlos will lose his legal inviolability.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced this morning that King Juan Carlos, who has been Spain’s Head of State for 39 years and helped restore Democracy to the country, will abdicate.
Don Juan Carlos had talked down the possibility of abdicating in recent years, but now says he made his decision during his 76th birthday earlier this year.
The King said in a message to the nation it was important to recognize the influence of “a younger generation, with new energies.” He said Prince Felipe, who will soon be proclaimed King, represents “stability.”
The King’s abdication is the latest in a string of European Monarchs stepping down. But it also comes amid ongoing economic and political troubles.
King Juan Carlos speaking at Zarzuela Palace.
Prince Felipe, and his wife Letizia, the soon-to-be Queen Consort, will have to promote Spanish unity amid pro-independence rumblings in Catalonia and the Basque Country.
Abdication letter.
Prince Felipe will be proclaimed (not crowned) King soon. The action has to be ratified by the Cortes as the Constitution requires for abdications.
Spain’s future King and Queen.
Updates
-King Juan Carlos’ abdication announcement drew praise for the Monarch’s work from conservative Popular Party and Socialist Party leaders. United Left, however, called for a referendum on the Monarchy.
-Catalan President Artur Mas said change at the top of Spanish politics would not stop his push for a referendum on independence.
-Several thousand people hit the streets in Madrid and Barcelona to call for a referendum on whether to keep the Monarchy.
-The Spanish government will introduce legislation this week to begin the process of ratifying the abdication and welcoming Prince Felipe as the new King. Debate will follow in the Cortes.
-Prince Felipe’s proclamation as King could begin, media reports indicate, as soon as the 16th of this month.
-Details remain to be worked out, including the future legal standing of Don Juan Carlos, who is currently considered “inviolable.”
-The Royal Household released a timeline with images of important events in the future King’s life, including swearing allegiance to the Constitution in 1986.
Soon the King and Suárez, who later became a Duke, called elections and began liberalizing Spanish politics. The rest is history.
Today the King called the transition a “chapter that gave way to the period of great economic, social and political process.”
Updates
On Monday King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia and Infanta Elena met with various current and former Spanish leaders at the Congress building to remember Suárez.
His Majesty, after swift approval by the government, granted Suárez the collar of the Royal Order of Charles III. He was already a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
King Juan Carlos was hoping for this year to be better than the last. But the first week of 2014 is already giving him major headaches.
His Majesty made his first public Monday appearance outside his home, Zarzuela Palace, since his last hip surgery for the annual “Pascua Militar” event at the Royal Palace.
However, Don Juan Carlos still had trouble walking, relied on crutches and fumbled through parts of his speech.
The King’s physical weakness has led some officials to press him to consider abdication. He has declined to do so.
The Royal Household instead highlighted the austerity surrounding the ceremonies and said the King, who blamed low light in the palace’s Throne Room, was just as disappointed in himself.
But then came news that Judge José Castro had decided to subpoena the King’s daughter, Infanta Cristina, in the corruption investigation involving her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin.
An appeals court had thrown out a previous call for the Infanta to testify. The prosecutor in the case has expressed disagreement with involving her.
Still, she is due to appear in a Palma de Mallorca courtroom in March, according to various news sources.
Royal Household chief Rafael Spottorno has called for a swift resolution of the investigation. The King has said he respects judicial decisions.
King Juan Carlos and Prince Felipe meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at Zarzuela Palace today.
While the Royal Household is looking to recover its eroded popularity — which it surveys regularly — this week’s events has led to more bad press.
The ongoing tough economy plus the loud calls for independence from at least some sectors of Catalan society are also a concern.
Media outlets reported that protestors jeered Queen Sofia and a number of public officials during a public event in Madrid this evening.
LOS BORBONES 