[Spain] Royal Family reveals details on their income for the first time

Spain's scandal-hit royals revealed their detailed income for the first time on Wednesday, showing King Juan Carlos received a salary plus expenses of 292,752 euros ($382,600) in 2011.

The 73-year-old king's state grant of 140,519 euros was supplemented by 152,233 euros to cover expenses for official duties, said the accounts, published on the royals' website http://www.casareal.com.

Prince Felipe, 43, who is married to former television news presenter Princess Letizia, had half of that figure, which would be 70,260 euros in a state grant and 76,117 euros in expenses.

All top salaries including those of the royal family were cut by 15 percent in 2010 and frozen in 2011, a palace official said.

By comparison, Spain's former prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero who left office last week had an annual salary of 78,185 euros, far less than the king's.

The publication of the accounts comes as Spain's royal family battles a corruption scandal centred on the king's son in law, 43-year-old former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin.

Judges are investigating alleged corruption involving a charitable organisation formerly run by Urdangarin, husband of the king's youngest daughter Cristina.

He receives no money from the state.

According to the accounts, Queen Sofia, Princess Letizia and the two princesses Cristina and Elena have no fixed sum but receive expenses for official duties, up to a global maximum of 375,000 euros in 2011.

In tough economic times, pressure had been mounting for more openness about the royals' finances.

The overall budget was already public. The royal budget was frozen in 2010 and then cut by 470,000 euros, or 5.2 percent, to 8.43 million euros in 2011. The royals themselves had reportedly proposed the cut.

source

[Spain] King Juan Carlos I opens Parliament with new government

I am completely in love with her dress and coat!

source

[Spain] Iñaki Urdangarin - husband of Infanta Cristina - dismissed from Official Engagements for the time being

A few months ago, King Juan Carlos of Spain proudly saluted the country's armed forces at the National Day military parade surrounded by his family, as he has done throughout his 36-year reign.

Highly respected with a dignified bearing, the royal has always enjoyed great affection among his people.

In the public memory, the patriarch is remembered for his decisive role in thwarting a coup by military officers against the country's fledgling democracy in 1981.

But now the standing of the clan has been threatened by, what the local press has dubbed, the Urdangarin Case.

Juan Carlos' son-in-law, Iñaki Urdangarin, the husband of his daughter Cristina, is being investigated on corruption charges relating to his business activities in Palma, Majorca.

After weeks of headlines, the Palace has announced that he will no longer take part in official engagements.

Spokesman Rafael Spottrono added that his behaviour "did not seem to have been exemplary".

Iñaki, a towering athlete who was once the capitan of the national handball team, was created the Duke of Palma in 1997 on his marriage to Cristina.

Their magnificent wedding in Barcelona Cathedral was followed by the birth of four children.

A few years ago the couple moved to Washington where he works for telecoms giant Telefonica.

Aides said it was not yet known if Cristina would also step down from her official roles.

At the weekend the duke published a statement saying he "regretted" the damage caused by press reports to his family and the king "who had nothing to do" with his private activities.

His lawyer also said that his client is innocent of any wrongdoing and was "outraged" by the allegations.

The accusations centre around the Noos Institute, an non profit organisation for the promotion of sports and tourism.

As president, he is alleged to have charged local authorities hugely inflated fees for organising events and siphoning off funds to his private companies.

source

When Charles, Diana, William & Harry met Juan Carlos, Sofia, Elena, Cristina & Felipe in 1987...

King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Sophia of Greece and Denmark (now Queen Sofia) have been married for 49 years today!

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia have now been married for 49 years. Let's take a quick look at how it went half a century ago.

The engagement

The royal couple got engaged on December 12, 1961, having met on a yacht. In the photo above, of the official engagement, from left to right: Princess Irene of Greece, Prince Constantine of Greece, Queen Frederika of Greece, Don Juan Bourbon y Battenberg, Princess Sophia, Juan Carlos of Spain, King Paul I of Greece, Dona Maria de las Mercedes de Bourbon y Orleans, Countess of Barcelona.


Some background
Juan Carlos and Sophia are both Queen Victoria's descendants and therefore related several times. Juan Carlos is a grandson of Queen Victoria-Eugenia of Spain, born a Princess of Battenberg. Victoria-Eugenia was the only daughter of Prince Henry of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice of Great Britain. Beatrice was Queen Victoria's youngest child. Victoria-Eugenia of Battenberg had the distinct honor of being a favorite of Empress Eugenie of the French, Napoleon III's widow. The closeness between the family of Queen Victoria and her friend Empress Eugenie's led to Beatrice naming her daughter in honor of the two older ladies. Some have also rumored that this friendship between Beatrice and Eugenie was the result of the English princess' love for Eugenie's unfortunate son, the Prince Imperial who died in Africa during the Zulu Wars in 1879.

Sophia is a descendant of Queen Victoria through both her parents. King Paul I of the Hellenes was the youngest son of King Constantine I and Queen Sophie, born a Princess of Prussia. Sophie was the third daughter of Kaiser Friedrich III and Kaiserin Victoria, who was Queen Victoria's eldest child. Sophia's mother, Frederica of Hanover, was the only daughter of Duke Ernst-August of Brunswick and Princess Victoria-Luise of Prussia, Kaiser Wilhelm II's only daughter. Wilhelm II and Queen Sophie of Greece were siblings, both being children of Kaiser Friedrich III and Kaiserin Victoria. Duke Ernst-August was closely related to the English royal family, as the head of the old Hanoverian royal family. Ernst-August was the grandson of King George V of Hanover, only son of King Ernst-August of Hanover and Duke of Cumberland. Ernst-August was the younger brother of Edward, Duke of Kent, Queen Victoria's father

The wedding ceremony

The prince and princess were married at two church ceremonies. The first ceremony took place at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Denis, Athens, Greece. Accompanied by her father and brother Constantine, Sophia arrived at the church in a majestic golden royal coach pulled by six horses.

The emotion of the day finally got to the bride by the time she reached the altar. Tears fell down her cheeks, and a concerned Juan Carlos offered her his handkerchief and held her arm to comfort her. By the way, 42 years after, Felipe did the exact same with Letizia.

After the couple were pronounced husband and wife, mass was celebrated. The strains of Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Perosi’s Magnificat filled the church. Accompanied by Handel’s Alleluia, Juan Carlos and Sophia left the church to be greeted by rapturous crowds.

After the one-hour Catholic ceremony, the couple then traveled in a carriage drawn by six white horses to a second ceremony at the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral of the Virgin Mary.

The bride’s dress

The bride wore a silver-white lamé gown encrusted with Brussels lace and antique brocade, by Greek designer Jean Dessés.

The bride’s veil

The veil was 15-feet long, and had been used 25 years earlier at the wedding of the bride’s parents, Princess Federica of Hanover and Prince Pavlos of Greece.

The bride’s tiara

Sophia’s elegant imperial-style tiara, made of platinum and diamonds, was given to her by her mother Queen Frederica.

Since the tiara was made it has been connected with dynastic weddings. Kaiser Wilhelm II gave it to his daughter Princess Victoria of Prussia when she married the Crown Prince of Hannover, Ernesto Augusto.

Victoria’s daughter Queen Frederica of Greece was herself given the tiara by her mother when she married the then Prince Pavlos of Greece.

Queen Sofía of Spain loaned the tiara to her daughter-in-law Princess Letizia on her marriage to Sofía’s son Felipe and she has been using it ever since.

The flowers

The bride carried a small bouquet of lily of the valley. The Orthodox Cathedral was decorated with 35,000 roses, Sophia’s favorite flower; red and yellow carnations, the colors of Spain, filled the Roman Catholic Church.

The bride and groom’s attendants

The bride was attended by Princess Irene of Greece (the bride’s sister), Infanta Pilar of Spain (the groom’s sister), Princess Irene of the Netherlands, Princess Alexandra of Kent, and Princesses Beneditke and Anne Marie of Denmark—the latter Danish princess would eventually become the bride’s sister-in-law, Princess Anne of France, and Princess Tatiana Radziwill. Prince Michael of Greece, the Duke of Aosta, and Infante Alfonso de Orleans acted on behalf of the groom.

The wedding banquet

Once the Orthodox ceremony finished, the newlyweds returned to the Greek royal palace. After a brief royal civil ceremony, a fantastic banquet for more than one thousand guests was held in honor of Juan Carlos and Sophia.

The guest list

The wedding saw the biggest gathering of royals in Europe since before 1914. Over 150 members of Europe’s royal families were invited, including representatives from the royal houses of Greece, Spain, Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Hanover, Portugal, France, Monaco, Luxembourg, Parma, Württemberg, and Romania.

Thousands of Spaniards traveled from Spain to Greece to witness the wedding of their future King and Queen. Prince Juan Carlos and Princess Sophia hosted a large garden party at the Hellenic Tennis Club to acknowledge their Spanish guests’ support and enthusiasm for the union.

The honeymoon

After the wedding banquet, the couple left for the royal retreat on the island of Corfu, starting a four month honeymoon and also spent time in New York.


Nowadays
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia are still married *sigh of relief*, have two daughters and a son, Elena, Cristina and Felipe. Infanta Elena married Jaime de Marichalar in 1995 and have two children. They divorced in 2010. Infanta Cristina married Iñaki Urdangarin in 1999 and have four children. They now live in Washington. Don Felipe married Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano in 2004. They now have two children.

sources for this article 1, 2 and 3

King and Queen of Spain off to Switzerland

King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia are traveling today to Zurich for a two-day state visit to Switzerland which will include official activities in Bern and Lausanne, with the aim of strengthening the already "excellent" bilateral relations in the political, economic, cultural and scientific fields. 

As reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement, the Spanish diplomat, Trinidad Jiménez, will accompany them in their second state visit to Switzerland, the first took place in 1979. 

The aircraft of the Spanish Air Force landed today at noon at the airport in Zurich, where Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey welcome King Juan Carlos and his wife. Then, they followed on a particular train to Bern, aboard the which lunch was served. 

As they arrived at the railway station in Bern-Kehrsatz, they were greeted by a group of schoolboys, who performed traditional songs, after which they attended an official welcoming ceremony with military honors at the federal plaza in the capital.

source

King Mohammed VI of Morocco receives King Juan Carlos I of Spain in Marrakech

King Mohammed VI of Morocco received, on Monday at the Royal palace in Marrakech, Juan Carlos I of Spain, with whom the Monarch held a private meeting.

The Spanish Sovereign, who is on a private visit to Morocco, was greeted by the Prime Minister, the Speakers of the two Houses of parliament, the Foreign Minister and the Interior Minister.

King Juan Carlos was also greeted by several high ranking officers of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, the Director of security police, the Wali of Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz region, Governor of Marrakech prefecture, as well as by local elected officials.

King Mohammed was greeted by the Chief of Spanish Royal Household, the Spanish Ambassador in Rabat and members of the delegation accompanying king Juan Carlos.

The meeting reflects the firmness of links between the two head of states and the two friendly peoples.

source

Royal weddings from the past - King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia (1962)

Then Princess Sophia holding both her new husband and brother (former King) Constantine's arms.

Juan Carlos was married in Athens at the Church of Saint Dennis on May 14th, 1962, to Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark, daughter of King Paul. She was Greek Orthodox but converted to Roman Catholicism in order to become Spain's queen. Her name is now styled as Queen Sofia.

Juan Carlos and Sofia are fluent in several languages. They both speak Spanish, English, and French. The king also speaks fluent Italian and Catalan. Unlike the queen, Juan Carlos does not speak any German, nor her native language, Greek, a fact he allegedly regrets.

Emir of Qatar and wife Sheikha Mozah in Spain - day one (photos)

Sheikha Mozah, Queen Sofia, Princess Letizia.

Mozah is the Emir's second wife. Her second son is the Heir Apparent to the throne, as her older son resigned a few years ago. She is 51 years old.

Sheikha Mozah with Queen Sofia, Infanta Cristina and Princess Letizia

Infanta Cristina, Queen Sofia, Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, King Juan Carlos I, Sheikha Mozah, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia on the Emir's official visit to Spain. These photos were taken just before their official lunch.

source of the photos

Emir of Qatar welcomed by King Juan Carlos I as he starts state visit in Spain

The emir of Qatar arrived in Madrid on Monday on a visit to boost economic ties between the oil-rich Gulf state and Spain, which is seeking new investments to shore up its battered economy.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and his wife, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, lunched with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia at the royal palace of Zarazuela outside Madrid following their arrival.

On Tuesday, he is to hold talks over lunch with Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, after which several agreements will be signed, Spanish media reported.

The three-day visit follows a trip to the tiny Gulf state by Zapatero in March during which he received pledges of some 3.0 billion euros ($4.4 billion) in investments, some of which would go to Spain's ailing savings banks.

Days later, Spanish power giant Iberdrola said that Qatari investment fund Qatar Holding would buy a 6.16 percent stake in the group for 2.2 billion euros. Spain is also interested in investment opportunities for its construction companies raised by Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup, the business daily Cinco Dias reported.

Spain is battling to rein in its massive public deficit and convince nervous markets that it will not require an international bailout similar to that requested by neighbour Portugal this month and granted to Greece and Ireland last year.

source

King Juan Carlos I of Spain will not attend British royal wedding but Queen Sofia, CP Felipe & Letizia will.

Don Juan Carlos, the King of Spain will not be attending the Royal Wedding in London between Prince William and Catherine Middleton. The Spanish monarch generally only attends family weddings or those of close friends.

With three weeks to go to the ceremony on April 29, the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid has confirmed that only Queen Sophia and the Prince and Princess of Asturias will be attending. The infantas have not been invited to Westminster Abbey.

The threesome of the Queen, Letizia and Felipe were seen travelling together last summer to the World Cup in South Africa, when the King was recovering from a lung operation.

source

Have you ever wondered what King Juan Carlos II of Spain's ringtone sounded like?

It's one of his grandkids' laughter! how cute!