King Juan Carlos & Queen Sofia of Spain

I must apologise if my last post caused any offence, that is never my intention.

Of course its utterly deplorable that King Juan Carlos felt it was ok to hunt an endangered species, ( this is what I meant by 'medieval etc') and this seems to have appalled the Spanish as much as anybody else. However my understanding of his public apology had more to do with taking an expensive holiday at a time when most of his subjects are suffering acute financial hardship.

Hunting is an integral part of good estate management as many animals no longer have their natural predators. Its also a major part of mainstream culture in countries such as the United States and Canada. If its done responsibly and respectfully it can actually be a good thing. Then there is all the tradition and history that goes with it that shouldn't be lightly dismissed.

However for me there is a distinction between hunting and blood sports. I can understand that the deer/fox populations need to be kept in check etc but for me Stag hunting is not part of this as the hunted stag is always the deposed alpa male who is eeking out a living away from the new alpha male's herd. He is chased for several days by the dogs until he literally drops with exhaustion and stress. Its horrible and whilst of course I love my family I cannot share in their enjoyment of it, they see me as something of an eccentric and a traitor for my views.

I'm a vegetarian but this is entirely a reaction against the 'factory farming' of animals which is far, far, more cruel than hunting. Most people eat meat but are completely removed from the process of its production/cultivation. Of course 'Bullfighting' has nothing to do with either estate management or food production and so in my opinion is barbaric.

Whilst the King of Spain has shown himself to be arrogant and dispicable on a personal level, it shouldn't diminish his legacy of safe guarding Spain's peaceful transition to democracy. At the end of the day there's good and bad in everyone. My original point was that the elite are prone to a loss of perspective that they are beyond reproach as King Juan Carlos has just demonstrated.

Understandable. I had never even heard of him before, no idea who he is. I assume the son of one of the Infantas ?

He is Infanta Elena's son from Jaime de marichalar,her former husband.

Bad boy Juanito's mea culpa:

http://www.ppe-agency.com/show.php?zoektype=2&search=18-04-2012%20Hospital

courtesy ppe

[Vanya]

Vanya, well said from top to bottom!

Speaking of world leaders, Theodore Roosevelt was of course an avid hunter but also a conservationist. His respect for the creatures he hunted and the nature in which they lived was to the level of an almost spiritual connection. Teddy was a rancher and buffalo hunter prior to his Presidency just as he stalked the big game in Africa post-administration.

I don't doubt that for someone like Roosevelt a good deal of the infatuation dealt with the borderline primitive fetish of shooting and killing things. But in his case it was done with respect and through a sense of admiration. Even a semi-loon like Ted Nugent is sensitive to this and promotes hunting as a bond with nature rather than a barbaric diversion to the blandness of every day life.

I'm no hunter...don't even like guns really. But not everyone who is and does is a disconnected Royal elite or a dumb, pick up driving, camouflage wearing, Confederate flag worshiping redneck, lol. 

Theodore Roosevelt lived at a time when big game hunting was regarded as entirely proper.

Times have changed.

Ann

Speaking of world leaders, Theodore Roosevelt was of course an avid hunter but also a conservationist. His respect for the creatures he hunted and the nature in which they lived was to the level of an almost spiritual connection. Teddy was a rancher and buffalo hunter prior to his Presidency just as he stalked the big game in Africa post-administration.

I don't doubt that for someone like Roosevelt a good deal of the infatuation dealt with the borderline primitive fetish of shooting and killing things. But in his case it was done with respect and through a sense of admiration. Even a semi-loon like Ted Nugent is sensitive to this and promotes hunting as a bond with nature rather than a barbaric diversion to the blandness of every day life.

I'm no hunter...don't even like guns really. But not everyone who is and does is a disconnected Royal elite or a dumb, pick up driving, camouflage wearing, Confederate flag worshiping redneck, lol. 

Please back to topic. This thread is about King Juan Carlos of Spain, not about Theodore Roosevelt.

trentk80
moderator

Speaking of world leaders, Theodore Roosevelt was of course an avid hunter but also a conservationist. His respect for the creatures he hunted and the nature in which they lived was to the level of an almost spiritual connection. Teddy was a rancher and buffalo hunter prior to his Presidency just as he stalked the big game in Africa post-administration.

I don't doubt that for someone like Roosevelt a good deal of the infatuation dealt with the borderline primitive fetish of shooting and killing things. But in his case it was done with respect and through a sense of admiration. Even a semi-loon like Ted Nugent is sensitive to this and promotes hunting as a bond with nature rather than a barbaric diversion to the blandness of every day life.

I'm no hunter...don't even like guns really. But not everyone who is and does is a disconnected Royal elite or a dumb, pick up driving, camouflage wearing, Confederate flag worshiping redneck, lol.  

Please back to topic. This thread is about King Juan Carlos of Spain, not about Theodore Roosevelt.

trentk80
moderator

Amen Trent!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17761774

The Duke of Edinburgh is, of course, very keen on shooting, but confines himself to pheasants and similar. There is a story that some years ago he was visiting somewhere abroad (I forget where it was), and his hosts were keen to take him on a hunt for the local protected species. The Duke hastily developed a diplomatic whitlow on his trigger finger.

Ann

The King was taken to hospital again where he had emergency surgery last night to reduce the dislocation of his right hip after he tripled at the Palace during an Audience yesterday.HM was discharged again this morning.

The King was taken to hospital again where he had emergency surgery last night to reduce the dislocation of his right hip after he tripled at the Palace during an Audience yesterday.HM was discharged again this morning.HM underwent a hip replacement last week.

He really doesn´t seem to be very well at all.  The resemblance between him and his forebearer Carlos III in old age is astonishing.

The news is that this couple is now completely estranged and that they haven´t shared the same bedroom for almost 35 years.  The King has apparently bedded 1000 + women over his lifetime.  The Queen it is said is more often in London or Greece than Madrid...

This sounds like gossip to me, if things are so bad the press would have latched on long ago.

I'm inclined to think that if King Juan Carlos really has slept with 1,000 women, he -  and they - have been remarkably discreet.

Ann

The press has known all along, I am sure. Just that they have not used or exposed  the situtaiion  has been up to their discretion,. Same as in Sweden. Well, other countries as well.

Up until recently the press has not touched the Royal Family, nor entered into commentary which could be anything other than flattering.  This have changed of late via the pecadillos of the Duke of Palma etc...  The Royal Family are now seen as fair game.  This story has been doing the rounds for a long time - this is the first time that the press has really entered into any detail on this particular matter.