King Felipe VI praises Juan Carlos I's role in the establishment of democracy: "The monarchy was the key catalyst"

MadridThe day after the 50th anniversary of Francisco Franco's death, the Royal Household celebrated the fact that the dictator's passing led to the restoration of the monarchy. The event, held at the Royal Palace, was marked by the absence of King Juan Carlos I and also of yesterday's main figure, the Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz, who declined to attend following his conviction by the Supreme Court for revealing secrets. In his speech, King Felipe VI praised the role of the former king in the establishment of democracy. "The firm will of the Crown contributed decisively to this," said the monarch, who insisted that the institution headed at that time by his father acted as a "key catalyst." "The monarchy then assumed a clearly active role. It united all Spaniards at a crucial moment," he emphasized.

The monarch—accompanied by Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor, Infanta Sofía, and Queen Sofía—lamented that, unlike the Transition period, the current climate is one of "tension." "Looking back to that period can serve not to idealize it but to remember its method: words over shouting, respect over contempt, and the search for agreement over imposition," he asserted. Only representatives of the PP and PSOE parties attended the event at the Royal Palace. The other parties of the plurinational majority, as well as Vox, boycotted the monarch. Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the president of the Madrid region, was also absent, as she is scheduled to appear this afternoon to react to the conviction of the Attorney General.

At the event in the Royal Palace, Felipe VI acknowledged the work of four people who participated in the Transition. "Of course, it wasn't perfect, but to judge it by what it omitted would be unfair," he said. In contrast to the absence of the King Emeritus, who was only invited to a private lunch this Saturday, the monarch bestowed the Illustrious Order of the Golden Fleece upon his mother. He also recognized the work of former Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Felipe González and the members of the constitutional drafting committee, Miguel Herrero and Miquel Roca, with the same honor.