The current head of state of Spain, King Philip VI, was once the youngest European monarch, leading the country after his father was abdicated. Spain is a constitutional monarchy, therefore Philip exercises mainly representative functions, leaving himself the role of a kind of arbiter during crises in different branches of government.
From dirt to Kings
Philip was born in Madrid in 1968, becoming the third child in a family of noble aristocrats. By that time, Juan Carlos and Sophia of Greece had already raised their daughters - Infanta Elena and Infanta Christina. At that time, the form of government of Spain remained unchanged after the establishment of a military dictatorship in 1938 and the rise 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 recognized the need for changes in society and the need for democratic reforms.
Political prisoners were released from prisons, and 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 reforms was the restoration of the monarchy on a constitutional basis. So the infante Philip November 22, 1975 became the heir to the throne, and his father - the head of state of Spain.
The upbringing of the monarch
In 1986, the infant, having reached adulthood, took the solemn oath to the king and the Constitution in parliament, officially accepting the status of heir to the throne. The citizens of the kingdom of Spain have since begun to closely monitor the life of the future king.
Juan Carlos Bourbon carefully approached the upbringing of the monarch of a major European power. Suffering from some shortcomings in education and upbringing, he longed for Philip to become the ideal head of state of Spain and to raise high 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. In 1985, he returned to his homeland, where he was waiting for the continuation of painstaking education.
Since the king is the constitutional supreme commander of the armed forces of Spain, there was a need for a military education of Philip, for whom a long period of army training began. From 1985 to 1988, he faithfully studied at the Military Academy, Navy School, and also the Air Force Academy, having mastered the profession of an army helicopter pilot.
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 in Georgetown.
Sports feats
The heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Spain continued the family tradition of sailing. Prior to this, the main achievements belonged to his father - Juan Carlos I, who spoke at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and took fifteenth place. The mother of Infanta Philip acted in the Greek national team of sailing masters in 1960 at the Olympic Games in Rome. Sister Christina became twentieth at the Seoul Games in 1988.
Philip was more fortunate as he competed in his native land, applying for participation in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Infant competed in triple yachts and took sixth place.
State activity in the status of a prince
Preparing for independent rule, Philip began to work on the foreign policy of Spain, having made a huge number of visits to foreign countries in order to establish economic and cultural relations as an official representative of the kingdom.
The heir specialized in the countries of the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, that is, with the 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 top officials 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, since a year later he paid a second visit, staying four days in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Madrid Court scandals
The global economic crisis that began in 2008 did not pass Spain, which was one of the most affected EU countries. Worse than in Spain, things were only in Greece, where there was a kind of collapse.
Against this background, the behavior of Juan Carlos I was not ideal. A lover of chic 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.
Scandalous publicity was received by his trip to Africa, where he went to hunt elephants. The Spaniards were outraged that their monarch allowed himself to throw out state money for his own amusements in the conditions of the strictest economy and budget deficit.
However, the most important blow to the monarchy was infanta Christina. Details of large-scale financial fraud committed by her husband were revealed to the company, an investigation process was initiated.
The prestige of the throne was appallingly low, and Juan Carlos decided to leave the throne so that the popular infant would restore his former respect for the monarchy.
Coronation
In June 2014, the Spanish Prime Minister, on the air of one of the state-owned television channels, declared a stunned subject that Juan Carlos was abdicating in favor of his son Philip. In the new history, the country did not know such precedents, so I even had to issue a special law for the transfer of power from father to son.
On 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 in his 46 years.
The form of government of Spain is a constitutional monarchy. The king, as in other European countries, performs representative functions, reigning, but not governing the country. These provisions were reflected in the speech of the newly-made monarch, who promised to be a faithful servant of the people and the state.
Regal liberal
Raised in liberal conditions, Philip embarked on some reforms of the conservative spheres of life in the Spanish court. So, he shocked the Catholic country in some way, becoming the first monarch to receive the LGBT delegation in his palace. Then he canceled the position requiring the oath of crucifixion and the Bible, gaining sympathy among the non-Christian milieu.
Against the backdrop of the crazy tricks 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 that he would cut his salary by 20 percent out of solidarity with his subjects forced to live in a crisis of austerity.
Spain domestic policy
The new king has won the hearts of the people. According to surveys, many Spaniards would not mind Philip’s more active participation in governing the country. Moreover, formally, the king has rather serious levers for influencing the government.
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 not able to get a sufficient majority to form a government.
Negotiations with other coalition movements have reached an impasse; the country has lived in uncertain condition for several months, with little or no state power.
To resolve the crisis, King Philip took advantage of his exclusive right and dissolved the parliament, calling for early elections in 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 did it slowly begin to return to international politics. Since 1982, cooperation began with the United States, which was expressed in the economic assistance of an overseas power in exchange for the use of Spanish naval bases.
In the late eighties, a course was taken on integration, the kingdom joined the European Union. The country was also invited to NATO, but cautious Spaniards in a popular referendum chose to confine 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 without hesitation entered the Atlantic Alliance.
The remnants of imperial ambitions
The country does not claim to be a great power, does not conduct its own geopolitical games and adheres to the common 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 and Iraq.
However, there is a point in which Spain categorically diverges from its allies - the right of peoples to self-determination. The Iberian monarchy has become 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, longing 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 inspired the Catalan patriots new forces. In October 2017, a plebiscite was organized by the regional authorities, at which the majority of the region's inhabitants spoke out for independence.
The results of the referendum are not recognized by official Madrid, and its conduct is considered illegal. The head of state of Spain, speaking on behalf of the authorities, also spoke on this subject, not a single step back from the official position and urging the Catalans to submit.