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Spain's royal family admired for its common touch
October 4, 1997
Web posted at: 2:34 p.m. EDT (1834 GMT)From Correspondent Jim Clancy
BARCELONA, Spain (CNN) -- Despite the glitz of Princess Cristina's wedding Saturday, Spain's royal family is viewed and admired as being down-to-earth -- and may be the most popular monarchy in Europe.
King Juan Carlos I has used his royal position to enhance Spain's respect on the world stage.
His defining moment came in 1981, six years after the death of military dictator Gen. Francisco Franco, who had chosen Juan Carlos to succeed him. Three years after Franco's death, a new constitution confirmed Spain as a parliamentary monarchy.
A L S O :
World's royals gather to see Spain's Princess Cristina wed
In 1981, Basque separatists and republicans in Parliament publicly jeered Juan Carlos, but it was a show of distrust more than disrespect. Many of his critics believed the king supported military rule, but during an attempted coup a few weeks later, he dispelled that image.
CNN's Jim Clancy reports.
2 min. 43 sec. VXtreme video
When a renegade colonel and the generals who backed him seized Parliament and took lawmakers hostage, they were confident of Juan Carlos' support.
Instead, behind the scenes, the king warned the military to respect the constitution. The coup collapsed and Juan Carlos himself welcomed the hostages to safety.
Today, Spaniards say that was the moment when their country turned the corner from dictatorship to democracy.
Juan Carlos has abandoned many of the trappings of royalty, and Cristina is one example of the family's populist beliefs.
She was the first Spanish royal to attend college as just another student, earning a political science degree with a specialty in international relations from Madrid's Complutense University.
She is also the first to work for a salary. She organizes photo exhibits for the cultural foundation of the savings bank La Caixa. She drives to her job in a green Golf GTI. She spent her days as a single woman not in Madrid's Zarzuela Palace, but in a Barcelona duplex she shared with a cousin.
One more thing: The married princess says she intends to keep working.
Related sites:
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- Spanish Royal Family - (Spanish language)
- CyberSpain
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