The current head of state of Spain, King Philip VI, became the youngest European monarch in his time, having led the country after his father's abdication. Spain is a constitutional monarchy, so Philip performs mainly representative functions, reserving the role of a kind of arbiter during crises in different branches of government.
From rags to riches
Philippe was born in Madrid in 1968, becoming the third child in a family of well-born aristocrats. By that time, Juan Carlos and Sophia of Greece were already raising their daughters - Infanta Elena and Infanta Christina. At that time, Spain's form of government remained unchanged after the establishment of a military dictatorship in 1938 and the coming to power of General Franco.
Therefore, Prince Philip did not yet have the status of heir to the throne and was a modest landless prince. However, everything changed after the death of General Franco. The ruling circles of the country realized the need for changes in society and the need for democratic reforms.
Political prisoners were released from prisons, the activities of parties and independent social movements were allowed. The most important blow to tyranny was the dissolution of the "national movement", that is, the sinister phalanx that exercised total control over the country.
The result of all the transformations was the restoration of the monarchy on a constitutional basis. So on November 22, 1975, Infante Philip became the heir to the throne, and his father became the head of state of Spain.
Raising a Monarch
In 1986, the infant, having reached the age of majority, took a solemn oath to the king and the Constitution in Parliament, officially accepting the status of heir to the throne. The subjects of the Kingdom of Spain have since closely begun to follow the life of the future king.
Juan Carlos Bourbon carefully approached the upbringing of the monarch of a great European power. Suffering from some shortcomings in education and upbringing, he passionately desired Philip to become the ideal head of state of Spain and raise the status of the monarchy in society.
After graduating from high school, the infant went to Canada, where he studied for one year at Lakefield School. In 1985, he returned to his homeland, where he was waiting for the continuation of painstaking education.
Since the king is the supreme commander of the armed forces of Spain according to the Constitution, there was a need for Philip's military education, for which a long period of army drill began. From 1985 to 1988, he conscientiously studied at the Military Academy, the Navy School, and the Air Force Academy, having mastered the profession of an army pilot along the way.helicopters.
From 1988 to 1993 he studied law and economics at the University of Madrid, and completed his impressive education in 1995 with a master's degree in international relations from Georgetown.
Sports exploits
The heir to the throne of the kingdom of Spain continued the family tradition of passion for sailing. Before that, the main achievements belonged to his father, Juan Carlos I, who competed at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and took fifteenth place. Infante Philip's mother competed in the Greek sailing team at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Sister Christina placed 20th at the 1988 Seoul Games.
Philip was more fortunate as he competed on home soil, entering the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The Infante competed in the Triple Yacht Races and finished sixth.
State activity as a prince
Preparing for independent rule, Philip began to work for the foreign policy of Spain, making a huge number of visits to foreign countries in order to establish economic and cultural relations as the official representative of the kingdom.
Heir specialized in the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, that is, with regions that have the closest ties with Spain for one reason or another.
In 2002, he came to Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin. Here he met with the first persons of the state, took part in cultural events dedicated to the anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Apparently, he had good impressions about the trip to Russia, because a year later he made a second visit, spending four days in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Madrid court scandals
The global economic crisis that began in 2008 did not bypass Spain, which was among the most affected countries of the European Union. Worse than in Spain, things were only in Greece, where a kind of collapse generally occurred.
Against this background, the behavior of Juan Carlos the First was not ideal. A lover of luxurious life and beautiful women, he was rapidly losing popularity among the people, who expected from the king a certain amount of solidarity with his subjects in a difficult moment.
Controversial publicity was given to his trip to Africa, where he went to hunt elephants. The Spaniards were outraged that their monarch allows himself to throw away public money for his own entertainment in conditions of strict austerity and a budget deficit.
However, the most important blow to the monarchy was delivered by Infanta Christina. Details of the large-scale financial fraud committed by her husband were revealed to the public, and an investigation process was initiated.
The prestige of the throne was appallingly low, and Juan Carlos decided to leave the throne in order for the popular Infante to restore his former respect for the monarchy.
Coronation
In June 2014The Prime Minister of Spain, on the air of one of the state television channels, announced to the stunned subjects that Juan Carlos abdicated in favor of his son Philip. In modern history, the country did not know such precedents, so they even had to issue a special law for the transfer of power from father to son.
June 19, 2014, King Philip VI officially ascended the throne. The next day, he gained the status of Supreme Commander, after which he was sworn in and proclaimed king by the Spanish Parliament. Thus, the former Infante became the youngest monarch of Europe at the age of 46.
The form of government in Spain is a constitutional monarchy. The king, as in other countries of Europe, performs representative functions, reigning, but not ruling the country. These provisions were reflected in the speech of the newly minted monarch, who promised to be a faithful servant of the people and the state.
Regal Liberal
Brought up in liberal conditions, Philip set about some reforms in the conservative spheres of life in the Spanish court. So, he somewhat shocked the Catholic country by becoming the first monarch to receive an LGBT delegation in his palace. He then abolished the provision requiring an oath on a crucifix and a Bible, gaining sympathy among non-Christians.
Against the background of the crazy antics of his father, who made expensive safaris to Africa, Philip looked very profitable, leading a modest image of a modest intellectual and an exemplary family man. In 2015, he announced thatwill cut his salary by 20 percent in solidarity with his subjects forced to live in a crisis of austerity.
Spanish Domestic Policy
The new king has won the hearts of the people. According to polls, many Spaniards would not mind a more active participation of Philip in the government of the country. Moreover, formally, the king has quite serious leverage to influence power.
In 2015, there was a serious reason for this, Philip had to take an active part in resolving the acute political crisis in Spain. After the parliamentary elections, the former ruling party was unable to obtain a sufficient majority to form a government.
Negotiations with other coalition movements stalled, the country lived for several months in an uncertain state, with virtually no state power.
To resolve the crisis, King Philip used his exclusive right and dissolved parliament, calling snap elections for 2016. This happened for the first time since the restoration of democracy in the country in 1975.
Principles of International Relations
During Franco's dictatorship, the country was isolated and only after 1975 began to slowly return to international politics. Since 1982, cooperation with the United States began, which was expressed in economic assistance from an overseas power in exchange for the use of Spanish naval bases.
In the late eightiesa course of integration was taken, the kingdom joined the European Union. The country was also invited to join NATO, but the cautious Spaniards at the national referendum preferred to limit themselves to political representation in this structure. However, after the collapse of the USSR, the end of the bipolar system became clear, NATO became the leading military bloc, and Spain joined the Atlantic alliance without hesitation.
Remnants of imperial ambitions
The country does not claim to be a great power, does not play its own geopolitical games and adheres to the general standard adopted in Western Europe. This is Atlantic solidarity, adherence to liberal values and so on in the same vein. The Spanish military took part in operations in Afghanistan, Iraq.
However, there is a point where Spain categorically disagrees with its allies - the right of peoples to self-determination. The Iberian monarchy became one of the few European countries that did not recognize the independence of the state of Kosovo. This is due to the problems of the Spaniards with their autonomous regions, eager to set sail for free swimming - Catalonia, the Basque Country.
It was the Kosovo precedent, as well as the referendum of supporters of Scottish independence, that breathed new strength into the Catalan patriots. In October 2017, a plebiscite was organized by the regional authorities, at which the majority of the inhabitants of the region spoke in favor of independence.
The results of the referendum are not recognized by official Madrid, and its holding is considered illegal. The head of state of Spain, speaking on behalf of the authorities, also spoke on thisoccasion, without stepping back from the official position and calling on the Catalans to submit.
