Where does the theory that King Felipe VI is kidnapped come from?

BarcelonaOn the Spanish right, it is taken for granted that the Spanish government is attempting to "colonize" all state institutions, including the royal household. A theory circulating widely, particularly among the far right, is that the monarch has been kidnapped by Pedro Sánchez's Spanish executive, which dictates his every move. Another version, supported by the People's Party (PP), suggests that the Moncloa Palace (the Prime Minister's office) is trying to influence all areas of Felipe VI's actions, but that this has not been successful due to alleged resistance from the Zarzuela Palace (the Royal Palace). The PP continues to staunchly defend the monarch—despite some contradictions—but Vox has distanced itself from the king and only defends the Crown as an institution, according to several sources consulted by ARA.

Last year, following the approval of the amnesty law, The far right lifted the ban against the king and asked him to refuse to sign the law, as if that could prevent it from coming into effect. Felipe VI ended up signing it—he couldn't refuse with the Constitution in his hand—and the theory of the monarch's kidnapping was strengthened. Since then, part of the right wing has been convinced that events are proving them right. For example, the recent Christmas speech was shocking, adding to other public interventions such as the one he made in Hospitalet de Llobregat, or his expression when referring to the Venezuelan conflict.

On the eve of December 25, the king focused on criticizing the "tension" and asked to put an end to "extremism" and address social challenges, ignoring the corruption cases affecting Pedro Sánchez's government. In Hospitalet He championed the positive aspects of immigration, criticizing "sectarianism" and "simplistic solutions." And when referring to the recent releases from prison in Venezuela, he didn't use the term "political prisoners," but rather "detained," which Sánchez had previously used. All of this makes sense: all acts of the monarch must be countersigned by the Prime Minister and the ministers, as stipulated by the Constitution.

Monarchist Battle

According to sources within the Vox party, the king's speeches have long been unpopular. However, they prefer to remain silent, although they have made their feelings known privately within the royal household. The prevailing view is that he "repeats everything the government wants," even within the same framework. At this point, they don't know if he does so out of conviction or for convenience, in a kind of political captivity that will be put to the ultimate test when there is a change of government. "If he does the same thing when we're in power and says what we want..." they say from the far right.

Multiple far-right figures, such as the director ofOK Diario, Eduardo Inda, who went so far as to say in the article "Not like that, Your Majesty", The political kidnapping is partly emotional because the monarch fears a repeat of 1931, when he might have to flee with his tail between his legs after the proclamation of a republic. Other agitators have joined the chorus, including Alfonso Rojo, Bertrand Ndongo, Vito Quiles, and the politician Alvise Pérez, who has already declared the king "useless."

The People's Party (PP) is taking a more moderate stance. Sources consulted lament that "there are attempts to manipulate the royal household" by the Moncloa Palace (the Prime Minister's office), but emphasize that the family "has its own life and is not at Sánchez's service." In fact, they maintain that they feel "represented" in his speeches and downplay his current silence on corruption, which he explicitly addressed when Mariano Rajoy was president: "He has to walk a tightrope," they say. They do, however, see signs of the king's discomfort with the government.

King Felipe VI, the protagonist of the scathing speech against Catalan independence on October 3, 2017, has sought to demonstrate a spirit of collaboration with the Sánchez government, despite some apparent discomfort. For example, he did not attend the opening of the events commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Franco's death, although he did attend other events to praise the role of the Crown or condemn Nazism. Sources at the Zarzuela Palace They already expressed then "total harmony"with Sánchez and with the celebration of the half-century since the dictator's death.