National News in La Vanguardia: The King Apologizes

The Spanish nation is officially a “kingdom,” though as a constitutional monarchy, the King, Juan Carlos, does not hold executive power.  However, the king recently made the news due to his African hunting trip accident.  Juan Carlos was invited to hunt elephants in Botswana by a Saudi billionaire friend.  The king was injured during the hunt, however, and was rushed back to Spain for repair and surgery.

The root of the controversy in this issue is that the king was hurt while on a fantastically expensive, frivolous trip to Africa.  Spain is in the midst of a drastic economic crisis, and there are countless Spanairds without jobs or sufficient income.  Even though the king’s trip was not funded by public money, it still seems inappropriate for the monarch to accept such an extravagant gift and to embark on such an expensive luxury when the citizens of Spain struggle so much financially.  The behavior of the king has caused many Spanairds to question the necessity of a monarchy at all.  Some have considered this behavior as a signal that the monarchy is outdated and impractical.  The king serves no real use to Spain, and some citizens would rather see Spain without a monarch, perhaps returning to the days of the Republic.  The king does not seem to demonstrate respect of understanding of the current situation in Spain, and the many conflicts within the royal family have caused the monarchy to fall on desperately unstable times.

In reaction to this tense political situation, the king exited the hospital after his surgery with an apology.  The king apologized to the Spanish nation, admitted that he was wrong, and promised that it would never happen again.  This apology is unique in the history of the Spanish monarchy; never before has a king apologized or admitted an error in behavior.  However, this apology was clearly a manicured move in the wake of Spanish discontent.  Further, the king did not specify what his apology was “for.”  It is unclear whether he was sorry for his trip to Africa, sorry that he was injured, or even sorry that he was simply caught in this situation.

Regardless, this news story touches on many national cultural issues, including the economic situation and the function and necessity of the monarchy.  La Vanguardia reports on a unique moment in Spanish history paired with the modern concerns of a nation in economic difficulty.

http://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20120418/54284915063/el-rey.html

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