The king with the frightened and sad gaze

Tomorrow marks 50 years since Juan Carlos I became Franco's successor with the title of king. For a couple of hours, the State suspended the official mourning period, and TVE switched from the continuous feed of Franco's lying in state to the broadcast of the oath of office from the Congress, then the Spanish Parliament. Juan Carlos, who was 37 years old, swore by God and on the Gospels to uphold the principles of the National Movement. He was dressed in military uniform. He looked tired and distraught, overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility.

Juan Carlos didn't smile once. Those in the bunker told himJuanito's brat"And the democratic opposition in exile, and the clandestine opposition within, called him..."Juan Carlos I, the Brief"In his first speech he did not utter the word even once." democracy And he only promised a future based on "national harmony." In fact, after the ceremony, the first thing the new king and queen did was appear before the dictator's coffin.

Juan Carlos had just received all the power, but he had no authority, neither from one side nor the other. And he knew it. But for the vast silent majority, sentimentally shaped by 40 years of propaganda, and with the memory of the Civil War and the post-war period still fresh, that frightened and sad look was like an invitation to hope that, this time, everything would turn out well.

50 years later we know that that king ended his reign squandering the fabulous political capital he managed to accumulate, to the point that he had to abdicate, and his son and the Spanish government have not wanted him at the official celebrations. But 50 years ago, he correctly interpreted the sentiment of the people when he said that it was a "hour full of hope."