Great post, Juan Primero.
For all his faults, Spain would almost certainly not be the modern democratic country it is today but for the former king's determined stand against the military cabal that, back in 1981, tried to turn back the clock to the days of Franco. It hardly bears thinking about what would have happened if he had not been there to prevent it. He may be a crook but Spaniards everywhere will always owe him a debt of gratitude.
Steven, perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I wasn't trying to compare the actions of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. I was agreeing with Johan comments that nobody is perfect and that they should be judged by the whole of their actions. I understand your displeasure with King Juan Carlos, and I am very disappointed with his actions that you cite. I agree with you that Queen Sofia never broke a law. However, I was disappointed that Queen Sofia as a consort in a constitutional monarchy, chose to make known her opinions. She is the Queen of all Spaniards, not just the traditional, Catholic, heterosexual Spaniards. Do I think Queen Sofia is the only European Royal to hold that opinion about marriage? Of course not, but I think it was a mistake on her part making her opinion known. Every time the Spanish government makes decisions that go against the Catholic Church does Queen Sofia open her mouth and merely tow the line? I'm not perfect, you're not perfect, King Juan Carlos is not perfect, and Queen Sofia is not perfect. Out of the four of us, do I think that the one that was a monarch really screwed up? Yes I do, but I also believe that he did a lot of good for Spain.
False comparison. Sofía was merely towing the Catholic Church's official line on homosexuality. No law was ever broken by the mostly perfect-behaved Queen. Her serial-cheater husband, on the other hand, used his position as monarch to personally enrich himself through shady dealings normally associated with the lowest type of characters, risking fatal damage to his own son's reign and the monarchy's reputation.
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