Spain’s king pays homage to father Juan Carlos

SpanishKing Felipe VI paid homage to his father Juan Carlos yesterday as theformer monarch, fresh from celebrating his 80th birthday, made a publiccomeback after complaining bitterly of being left on the sidelines.Appearingin full military garb alongside his son, Queen Letizia and his wifeSofia at the royal palace in Madrid, Juan Carlos met Spain’s army, navyand air force chiefs at a traditional military ceremony held at thestart of every year.The show of unity comes at a trying time forSpain after the wealthy Catalan region attempted to break away, andwhere 47% of voters want to live in an independent, monarchy-freerepublic.It also puts Juan Carlos, credited for leading Spain todemocracy after decades of dictatorship but who abdicated in 2014 after aseries of scandals, back on the public scene.Felipe congratulatedhis father on turning 80 on Friday, drawing a smile from the elderlyformer monarch, who now walks with a stick.“Congratulations yourmajesty and thank you also for so many years of loyal service to Spain,”he said, as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his defence and interiorministers watched.Widely lauded for his negotiating skills,political acumen and his role in defusing an attempted coup in 1981,Juan Carlos fell from grace during Spain’s economic crisis as his lavishlifestyle drew anger.Adding fuel to fire, his daughter PrincessCristina and her husband Inaki Urdangarin were embroiled in a corruptionand tax fraud investigation, with the latter since found guilty ofsiphoning off millions to fund a lavish lifestyle.Cristina was acquitted.Whenhe took the throne, Felipe VI, who turns 50 at the end of the month,kept his distance in a bid to restore the image of the monarchy.InJune, Juan Carlos was notably absent from an event marking 40 yearssince the first democratic elections after Francisco Franco’sdictatorship, despite having been widely credited for enabling the voteto take place.That, according to Felipe VI’s biographer and other royal affairs experts, angered and hurt him.“Itwas thanks to him that there was an exemplary transition from adictatorship to a full democracy,” said Jaime Penafiel, a royal affairsjournalist. “He made it known that if they humiliated him again, hewould go and celebrate his 80th abroad.”So it was that yesterday, Juan Carlos and Sofia accompanied Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to the ceremony for the first time.DefenceMinister Maria Dolores de Cospedal credited Juan Carlos for beinginstrumental in building a “democratic and modern Spain ... from thebasis of reconciliation, harmony and peaceful cohabitation”.Fouryears ago, the same ceremony had been torture for Juan Carlos,physically weakened after health issues and tainted by scandals.“Hemade mistakes in his speech, lost track of what he was saying, offering apathetic spectacle,” said Jose Apezarena, Felipe VI’s biographer.That was when he asked for preparations to be made for his abdication, he said.Laterthat year in June, he stepped down in favour of his son and became“king emeritus”, a title he hates, according to the press.“It wasn’t what he wanted as he had repeatedly said he would be king until he died,” said Penafiel.