Felipe VI is being tested severely but seems to respond well to the challenges that will earn him the respect of the Spaniards in the long run. He is not as instantly likeable as his father was but he's probably more like Beatrix of the Netherlands. She was not as loved as her mother when she became monarch but if you look at the position of the monarchy at the beginning and the end of her reign you find that hard work, dedication and putting service to the country first simply forces people to respect their monarch and over time that respect becomes gratitude. Felipe seems to be on a similar path making the eventual transition to Leonor easier. However much will depend on the kind of woman the Princess of Asturias grows up to be and who she will choose as her spouse.
Looking at the current situation and also the past 200 years of post-Napoleonic Spain, the more I’m convinced that the short Spanish Legion officer from Galicia was right about how to deal with his country.
Of all the rulers of Spain of the last 2 centuries—whether monarch, president, or dictator—he is the only one to have died in power, of old age, and on his deathbed. Fernando VII and Alfonso XII were only 48 and 28 respectively when they passed away.
I just reread Franco’s last message to his people and it still sounds very relevant, especially about his warning about the unity of Spain and her enemies just lurking around the corner.
Of course, I wish the monarchy and the 1978 constitution a long life. But I can’t shake off from my mind the fact that the last monarchical constitution of 1876 lasted only 47 years until 1923, with the start of the Primo de Rivera dictatorship. I really hope that history doesn’t repeat itself again.
1