King Juan Carlos Is Back

King Juan Carlos is back in public view after weeks of recovery from a back operation.

Earlier this week the King and Queen Sofia received the 2012 winner of the prestigious Cervantes Prize José Manuel Caballero Bonald at Zarzuela Palace.

© Casa de S.M. el Rey / Borja Fotógrafos

Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia hosted a dinner in Caballero’s honor and presented him with the award yesterday.

Yesterday King Juan Carlos met with Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia.

Controversy Continues

Amid the ongoing corruption controversy surrounding his son-in-law, the King has agreed to even more transparency of Royal Household spending.

Don Juan Carlos will also provide details about his inheritance.

Prince Felipe Skipping Venezuelan Inauguration

Prince Felipe, who usually attends inauguration ceremonies for Latin American leaders, will skip the one for Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

News reports indicate that the Spanish government wants to keep the Prince away from the ongoing controversy over the election to replace the late Hugo Chavez as President.

Prince Felipe speaking at a German-Spanish Forum, where he called for greater solidarity in solving current problems.

Prince Felipe did attend the funeral for Chavez, which had him sitting near Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Today former Madrid Community President Esperanza Aguirre attended the funeral of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Aguirre is Countess of Murillo, a Grandee of Spain and also Honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Queen Sofia Back In Africa

Queen Sofia arrived in Mozambique yesterday for her 6th cooperation trip to Africa.

She brought with her medical and nutrition supplies donated in part by the Queen Sofia Foundation.

Her Majesty is also set to visit projects funded by the Spanish international cooperation and development agency.

Queen Sofia is scheduled to meet with Spanish residents in Mozambique and stay in the country until Thursday.

Does The King Owe Taxes?

The Royal Household is looking into claims that King Juan Carlos may owe taxes from the money his father left him, El Mundo and other news outlets are reporting.

Opposition parties are asking for information about three Swiss bank accounts that news accounts say belonged to Don Juan de Borbón y Battenberg, the Count of Barcelona.

He is said to have left his son about 375 million Spanish pesetas, the currency before the Euro.

King Juan Carlos' father, the Count of Barcelona, resigns any claims to the throne, allowing his son to follow Gen. Franco as Head of State. The King's mother Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies in yellow. © Agencia EFE — King Juan Carlos’ father, the Count of Barcelona, resigns any claims to the throne, allowing his son to follow Gen. Franco as Head of State. The King’s mother Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies in yellow.
© Agencia EFE

Don Juan died on April 1st 20 years ago. Members of the Royal Family will soon gather to honor his memory.

In the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth decided in the early 1990’s to voluntarily pay taxes.

Royals Out For Easter

Members of the Spanish Royal family attended Easter mass yesterday at the Mallorca Cathedral in Palma de Mallorca as part of a long standing tradition.

Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia, and Infanta Elena attended the services. Also there were young Infanta Sofia and Leonor, who may one day become queen.

Infanta Elena, the Duchess of Palma, did not attend amid her husband’s corruption investigation.

The Duchess of Alba also celebrated Holy Week and her 87th birthday with a public outing. Click here for an Hola photo gallery from Seville.

Royals Host IOC Reps

Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia and Infanta Elena welcomed International Olympic Committee representatives at the Royal Palace last week.

They were hoping to impress the Evaluation Commission for Madrid’s candidacy to host the games in 2020.

Prince Felipe said in the Palace’s main dining hall that Madrid was not only a European City but also represented broader Ibero-American aspirations.

More than 100 guests attended the event, the Royal Household said. Infanta Pilar, the King’s sister, was also there.

King’s Operation A Success

King Juan Carlos is out of intensive care and has already taken his first steps after a hernia operation.

© Agencia EFE. Posted online by the Royal Household.

His Majesty went to La Milagrosa hospital in Madrid for the scheduled operation.

Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia. © Agencia EFE. Posted online by the Royal Household. — Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia.
© Agencia EFE. Posted online by the Royal Household.

Several members of the Royal Family have made their way to visit Don Juan Carlos at the hospital. So has Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

The King is expected to be in the hospital for about a week, but will spend a few more in recovery.

Monarchy Now In Crisis

Media reports indicate that prosecutors may ask a judge to include Infanta Cristina in their anti-corruption investigation involving her husband Iñaki Urdangarin.

Also, some politicians are re-opening the question of abdication, suggesting that King Juan Carlos make way for his son to take over as Head of State.

King Juan Carlos scheduled to return to the hospital soon for hernia operation.
© Casa de S.M. el Rey / Borja Fotógrafos

However, the Royal Household said there was no talk at all of abdication.

Prince Felipe leads a meeting on the economy at the Bank of Spain.

Today, Spanish Government Vice President Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, according to news reports, defended King Juan Carlos and the Monarchy as a uniting force in Spanish society.

She also dismissed efforts to include the Royal Household in new transparency legislation. She said it should remain autonomous from other agencies.

While the King has published budget and earnings information, the ruling conservative People’s Party says more open books would be unprecedented among major European Royal Houses.

Queen Sofia inaugurates new pharmaceutical facilities in Guadalajara.

Urdangarin is scheduled to testify again in the investigation this weekend.

Click here for a an Associated Press story on the Monarchy’s popularity troubles.

Click here for another story from the New York Times.

King May Soon Be Back In Hospital

King Juan Carlos may have to return to the hospital for yet another operation, potentially the latest in numerous procedures in the past several years.

After a series of routine tests, Royal Household medical chief Miguel Fernández Tapia-Ruano said His Majesty’s condition was “satisfactory.”

However, the King will undergo further tests to asses the severity of an old hernia and, as a result, will scale back his schedule this week.

A press released said doctors would determine “the most adequate treatment.” The hernia may be keeping him from walking upright, media reports said.

Meanwhile, other members of the Royal Family are continuing their full schedule.

Today Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia handed out the National Awards for Culture at the Pardo Palace in the outskirts of Madrid.

Urdangarin Fails To Make Bail

Iñaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma and King Juan Carlos’ son-in-law, may have properties embargoed after failing to pay his part of 8.2 million in bail connected to the corruption investigation against him.

With the situation deteriorating, the community of Palma De Mallorca removed street signs in honor of the Duke and his wife, Infanta Cristina.

Meanwhile, other members of the Royal Family are working to continue their duties and show their worth to the Spanish people.

King Juan Carlos has been meeting with delegations at Zarzuela Palace. He also welcomed new ambassadors this week at the Royal Palace in Madrid.

Queen Sofia paid a visit to the National Center for Biotechnology this week, as well.

And Prince Felipe officially retired the Prince of Asturias aircraft carrier.