King Juan Carlos & Queen Sofia of Spain

did queen sofia ever expect to be queen of spain?
Juan carlos was not created crown prince untill 1969

did queen sofia ever expect to be queen of spain?
Juan carlos was not created crown prince untill 1969

Juan Carlos was not created Crown Prince.  He was created Prince of Spain, but was largely acknowledged to be Franco's heir due to an agreement between Juan Carlos' father and Franco.  There are several good bios in English that discuss all this.  One is by a Briton, Paul Preston, and was published a few years ago.

[http://erhj.blogspot.com]

Actually don Juan's agreement with Franco did not accord that the restoration would be done in the person of Juan Carlos.  Up until the day that Franco named Juan Carlos as his successor with the title of King.

When news of Franco's  choice was received at Villa Giralda, don Juan's home in Estoril, Portugal, it was like thunder for him and his political cabinet.  Furthermore it led to years of very tense relations between Juan and Juan Carlos.

Queen Victoria Eugenie when meeting Franco in 1968 for the baptism of Felipe urged him to choose a successor, either Juan or Juan Carlos, but above all she wanted the monarchy restored.  The choice was announced after the Queen's death.

Doña María de las Mercedes, Juan Carlos' mother, played an important role in getting don Juan and Juan Carlos to bridge their differences - she went into detail about this in her memoirs.  This led to don Juan's renunciation in 1977, thus restoring the dynastic old line by making Juan Carlos the "official" Head of House, as well as King.

I think don Juan, as Juan III, would have made a fantastic King.  Juan Carlos himself has been extremely good and it will be heard for Felipe to follow in his father's footsteps.

Arturo Beéche

I´m sure they had some idea that one day the moment would arrive when they would be called upon to become King and Queen of Spain.

I think don Juan, as Juan III, would have made a fantastic King.

Of course any king would be better than Franco or other fascist dictator - and that is a fact!

Actually don Juan's agreement with France did not accord that the restoration would be done in the person of Juan Carlos.  Up until the day that Franco named Juan Carlos as his successor with the title of King.


Arturo Beéche

Arturo,

Did you mean agreement with "Franco"?  

If not what did France have to do with the restoration of the Spanish Monarchy?

TampaBay


Yes I meant Franco, not France...have already corrected the typo...

Arturo Beéche

re. any King would be better than a fascist dictator. This of course is very true - Juan Carlos I has done an incredible job supporting democracy in Spain - in 1982 when he stood up to the colonels and apparently in 2004 after the Madrid train bombings when the Aznar government wanted to send troops on to the streets and postpone the elections to be held in two days - the King refused to sanction these measures. However, it is interesting to note that Juan Carlos was said to have been very fond of Franco, that personally his politics were similar to the generalisimos and that insults to Francos memory quite upset the King.

This is an over simplification but her goes:

Franco hated communists.  The only thing Royals hate more than  republicans are communists (broad generalization).

Therefore, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.  The King loves Spain and so did Franco.  Franco stablized Spain.  How he did it, I do not possess the background to discuss and/or debate but he did it and restored the Monarchy as part of the process.

Why would the King not like and maybe respect this man.  This man put his family back on the throne of a more stable country.

TampaBay

[http://erhj.blogspot.com]

Arturo,

Did you mean agreement with "Franco"?  

If not what did France have to do with the restoration of the Spanish Monarchy?

TampaBay

Yes I meant Franco, not France...have already corrected the typo...

Arturo Beéche

What are Queen Sofia's feelings about Greece?  I understand she has been back on trips as guest of state, but does she hold her parents' and brother's treatment against the Greeks after all these years?  Does she visit the scenes of her childhood, i.e. Tatoi, Psychiko, etc?

What are Queen Sofia's feelings about Greece?  I understand she has been back on trips as guest of state, but does she hold her parents' and brother's treatment against the Greeks after all these years?  Does she visit the scenes of her childhood, i.e. Tatoi, Psychiko, etc?

I think the Queen remains very fond of her native country.  She was in Athens yesterday actually, as she was pictured in Monastiraki square.  She obviously has very fond memories of her homeland.
In her bio she mentioned the she felt 100% Spanish and 100% Greek at the same time, and that she was a child of the Aegean Sea.

She is probably as miffed at the Greek Government as her brother is.  I remember when her and JC went to Greece on an official visit a few years ago, there were people quoting the Queen as having asked then Prime Minister Simitis to hurry up and take care of the royal property issue.  (But can't vouch for that).

By the way, many said that Simitis would find a good resolution to the royal property issue, as he was a godson of Prince George of Greece, and thus godbrother of Queen Sofia.

Regards

By the way, many said that Simitis would find a good resolution to the royal property issue, as he was a godson of Prince George of Greece, and thus godbrother of Queen Sofia.

Regards

I forgot to add, that one can't assume that a royal connetion would have led a Socialist like Simitis to mend his ways.

I hered that when Konstantinos Karamarlis went to spain for a state visit he got a very frosty Reception by the queen she was very angry like her brother for his betrayle to the family so at a banquit she wore her biggist and most impressive tiara and the highst greek decloration she had it had to be said that Karamarlis owed his political carrera to the monachy.  

I hered that when Konstantinos Karamarlis when to spain for a state visit he got a very frost Reception by the queen she was very angre like her brother for his betrayle to the family so at a banquit she wore her biggist and most impressive tiara and the highst greek decloration she had it had to be said that Karamarlis owed his political carrea to the monachy.  

He did.  Karamanlis was called from obscurity, where he was a Minister of Public Works in the Papagos government of 1952-55, by King Pavlos, and was given the mandate to form a government and hold new elections if need be.  He was not in line to succeed Papagos as party head, and many of the party were miffed at King Pavlos for side stepping them and giving the premiership to Karamanlis.  But this was 1955, only 6 years after the end of the Communist Guerrilla war (I prefer to call it that, than a civil war), and Greece need a stable government and a stable premier.  Karamanlis presented such a new political face, who could bring stability and free of all old party entanglements.  
He became so arrogant, that he left the country in "self-exile" than to face the possibility of election defeat, 8 years later, in 1963.  
The rest is history.......

Just a follow up to my post the other day that the Queen was in Athens, apparently Marina Karella, Prince Michael of Greece's wife, was debuting her paintings at the Benaki Museum, and the Queen, along with her brother King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie, Princess Irene, and Prince Michael, were on hand to support her work.

Regards