King Juan Carlos & Queen Sofia of Spain

[frederika]

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

[Marlene]

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.

[Eurohistory]

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

[darius]

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.

[Grand_Duke]

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!

[darius]

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.

[jfkhaos]

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?

[SSKENDER]

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

[SSKENDER]

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.

[frederika]

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.  

[Eurohistory]

don Juan Carlos and don Alfonso were cleaning their father's guns.  A gun Juan Carlos held in his hands went off and the bullet hit Alfonso in the forehead.  It was a terrible tragedy.  Enemies of don Juan carlos have spread this rumnor that he killed his own brother, which I find simply an abomination.  The tragedy devastated the family, particularly doña María and her eldest son Juan Carlos.  Such was the horror of it all that the Countess of Barcelona had to be placed in a clinic and when she finally recovered not only was she physically changed, but her spririt seemed to have flown away.

Madame, the late Countess of Paris, told me during our last meeting, three weeks before her sudden death, that the Countess of Barcelona, her cousin and great friend, had suffered terribly from this tragedy, a pain even further increased by the nasty rumors claiming don Juan Carlos had done it on purpose.

Arturo Beéche

[grandduchessella]

When the story came out that I read--do you know if it was in connection with a bio on JC? It would be really recent. I remember thinking that it was a horrible thing to allege if it was an accident and how traumatic it would be for a young boy to have killed his brother accidentally. If I remember correctly about the bio connection that there was a pointed lack of response from the Spanish RF--not even going to dignify such an allegation with even a 'no comment'. If there was no reason to allege such a crime such a very cruel thing to lay on someone who must be haunted by it the remainder of their life--especially as the older brother (the protector) and for it to be his only brother.  

[Eurohistory]

Historians who have used this family tragedy to vilify His Majesty are morally reprehensible.  It was a really a horrific episode.  I know other families where something like that has happened, two siblings finding and playing with their father's guns...blast...a bullet..a death...tragedy...one of the many reasons why I do not allow guns in my home.

Arturo Beéche

[grandduchessella]

Historians who have used this family tragedy to vilify His Majesty are morally reprehensible.  It was a really a horrific episode.  I know other families where something like that has happened, two siblings finding and playing with their father's guns...blast...a bullet..a death...tragedy...one of the many reasons why I do not allow guns in my home.

Arturo Beéche

Same here.

Do you know if this allegation was made in the recent bio of him?

[Eurohistory]

This has been going around for a long time...the rumors and the incidiousness in an effort to discredit the King...dreadful really!

Arturo Beéche