King Juan Carlos & Queen Sofia of Spain

[Robert_Hall]

I agree with Darius. Photo ops of  school awards and such does not make  up for obscene elephant hunts, financial and sexual scandal and a broken marriage. The family dynamics alone  could cause  concern.
 Somewhere, this monarchy has seemed to have lost it's way. IMO.

[trentk80]

While all very altruistic it really doesn´t say or mean a great deal to a nation with 6 million unemployed, a third of which are by now ineligible for state subsidies. 

My point was that, since the beginning of Juan Carlos' reign, the Spanish royals have been involved in all kind of activities related to their official duties, not just holidays (as it was suggested).

On the other hand, what you're saying is related to the current economic conditions, not to Juan Carlos' whole reign.

[darius]

I´m not limiting it to the current economic situation, I am comparing the family´s involvement with social causes since the beginning of the reign and my point is that this has been severely absent.  Spain is not a country with a history of worthy causes which have been evident in the UK since Victorian times and the British Royal Family´s evolution into a kind of Welfare Monarchy.  What I want to highlight is that yes, the Spanish Borbons have been involved in Foundations promoting literature and the Arts but their involvement with social causes has never been apparent.  This may be an indictment of Spanish society as a whole, but the family certainly haven´t made it their mission to highlight or promote the aleviation of social ills.

[trentk80]

What I want to highlight is that yes, the Spanish Borbons have been involved in Foundations promoting literature and the Arts but their involvement with social causes has never been apparent.  This may be an indictment of Spanish society as a whole, but the family certainly haven´t made it their mission to highlight or promote the aleviation of social ills.

The Spanish royals have also been involved with social causes. Throughout the years, the King, the Queen, Felipe, Letizia and the infantas have attended and presided countless events related to the alleviation of social ills. They have visited and inaugurated hospitals, homes for elderly people, centers for disabled people, etc. For instance, the Fundación Reina Sofía currently has a project to fight Alzheimer's disease and the Queen has been involved in various activities related to this project, including several visits to hospitals.

[grandduchessella]

Juan Carlos had a rather awkward run-in with the Governor of Florida, Rick Scott:

"I still want to hear -- I've ridden elephants, I've never tried to shoot one," Scott says, with a grin and a handshake.

If Scott thought he was simply embarking on a conversation between two powerful men about shooting large animals for fun, he was wrong. As the Crowley Political Report points out, it's unlikely that King Juan Carlos had much interest in making this a centerpiece of their discussion.

In an unprecedented act of royal contrition, Spain's king apologized Wednesday for having gone elephant-hunting in Africa while everyday people endure a severe economic crisis.
 "I am very sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again," King Juan Carlos said, trying to placate a rare wave of outrage against him.

And while all of this could make for an awkward discussion about elephants, Scott forged ahead after his introduction, telling the king about his own trip to Botswana, where one of the massive pachyderms apparently chased his jeep."

Full article and video:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/rick-scott-king-of-spain-elephant_n_1542066.html

[Lucien]

The Gold Medal for Fine Arts,Kennedy center Madrid:

http://www.ppe-agency.com/show.php?zoektype=2&search=17-05-2012%20Madrid

courtesy PPE

[Robert_Hall]

The Queen looks none too happy to me.

[darius]

Juan Carlos had a rather awkward run-in with the Governor of Florida, Rick Scott:

"I still want to hear -- I've ridden elephants, I've never tried to shoot one," Scott says, with a grin and a handshake.

If Scott thought he was simply embarking on a conversation between two powerful men about shooting large animals for fun, he was wrong. As the Crowley Political Report points out, it's unlikely that King Juan Carlos had much interest in making this a centerpiece of their discussion.

In an unprecedented act of royal contrition, Spain's king apologized Wednesday for having gone elephant-hunting in Africa while everyday people endure a severe economic crisis.
 "I am very sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again," King Juan Carlos said, trying to placate a rare wave of outrage against him.

And while all of this could make for an awkward discussion about elephants, Scott forged ahead after his introduction, telling the king about his own trip to Botswana, where one of the massive pachyderms apparently chased his jeep."

Full article and video:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/rick-scott-king-of-spain-elephant_n_1542066.html

This Governor is an embarrassment to the USA.  He and his wife sauntered into the King´s office with such nonchalance and idiotic grins.  Why are these people allowed out of the country?  If the people of Florida are foolish enough to vote for them let them keep them, not send them anywhere else!

[darius]

The Queen looks none too happy to me.

They do appear rather strained and uncomfortable...

[Lucien]

Juan Carlos had a rather awkward run-in with the Governor of Florida, Rick Scott:

"I still want to hear -- I've ridden elephants, I've never tried to shoot one," Scott says, with a grin and a handshake.

If Scott thought he was simply embarking on a conversation between two powerful men about shooting large animals for fun, he was wrong. As the Crowley Political Report points out, it's unlikely that King Juan Carlos had much interest in making this a centerpiece of their discussion.

In an unprecedented act of royal contrition, Spain's king apologized Wednesday for having gone elephant-hunting in Africa while everyday people endure a severe economic crisis.
 "I am very sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again," King Juan Carlos said, trying to placate a rare wave of outrage against him.

And while all of this could make for an awkward discussion about elephants, Scott forged ahead after his introduction, telling the king about his own trip to Botswana, where one of the massive pachyderms apparently chased his jeep."

Full article and video:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/rick-scott-king-of-spain-elephant_n_1542066.html

This Governor is an embarrassment to the USA.  He and his wife sauntered into the King´s office with such nonchalance and idiotic grins.  Why are these people allowed out of the country?  If the people of Florida are foolish enough to vote for them let them keep them, not send them anywhere else!

Hear Hear Hear!!!Brainless bigots indeed Darius..and they can get here without a visa or digital permission to enter 48 hours in advance like us travelling there...the arrogance & hypocracy unwavered and unchanced...and incurable!!...They'll never learn.

[darius]

I do feel for the majority of Republics who never get it right when voting their politicians and Heads of State into office.  They must really envy us who have "undemocratic", unelected and hereditary Heads of State...

[Lucien]

I do feel for the majority of Republics who never get it right when voting their politicians and Heads of State into office.  They must really envy us who have "undemocratic", unelected and hereditary Heads of State...

Indeed!!And most important,they can never beat the experience and breed that comes with Royal Families...well,
in general that is,....apart from this Bourbon boy and his faul streaks..

About Reps never getting it right on voting,it's le peuple that's voting,they vote their own brand of crap...says a lot
on the brains,or lack of that,of these precious citizens...Hah!...ROTFL...Have a sigar!...Oh no,that's a no no now too..

Republics give extra costs as you have to give the creeps extra staff even after they're done away with
and loads of ballony of bubbles mistaken for importance...yeah,well,once upon a time..in Disneyland..

Anyway,we made a point Darius:We don't do Republics.C'est ca!Free impression after that runaway Czech kid,
Madeleine "We don't do Kings" Allbright..(Quote after Allbright)

[Robert_Hall]

Hold on, boys. NO throne is so stable that it is not bolted down in iron. There is nothing superior in a monarchy over a republic [I happen to prefer monarchies that are long established] and not a few have been disasters.  Hence, the whole point of this Forum. Monarchies come and go just as easily as politicians do. Believe me, there is no "envy" on  our part.
 That jerk from Florida is just an example of  some low standards of the electorate.  Europe has it's  fair share of those as well.

[grandduchessella]

More on the Governor and the King:

"Enter Scott — who was visiting Spain this week on a trade mission. Not only did the governor start with the I've-never-shot-an-elephant ice-breaker, Scott then continued to talk about elephants and Botswana after he introduced his wife, Ann, to the king.

"We were in Botswana," Scott says. "And we were in the Jeep. And an elephant started to chase the Jeep. My wife was in the back part of the Jeep and she wanted to get out to the front of the Jeep." "I needed you in the Jeep with me," Ann leans in to say to the king. Juan Carlos laughed nervously at the elephant in the room and . . . Cut! The video stops.

But the laughter began. Newspapers nationwide and late-night Spanish television made Scott's elephant story a topic of uproarious laughter.

"All the news outlets highlight the absolute lack of tact of the Florida governor, which can only be attributed to poor preparation for the meeting," TV personality Sandra Sabatés says on the satirical news show El Intermedio (Halftime). "Gov. Scott continues, obstinate in his error. He adds insult to injury and asks the king increasingly uncomfortable questions about the details of the hunt."

At one point, Scott suggests that the king needs a better story to tell than that he injured his hip getting out of bed while on the trip...Returning to Florida on Thursday afternoon, Scott was met by a gaggle of media at Miami International Airport.

"If I did anything . . . wrong I completely apologize," he said. "The king's a wonderful person. He's a wonderful world leader. He's done so many wonderful things in his life. And we had a great conversation. "The first thing I asked him about was his hip, of course, because he had been injured," Scott said. Scott said he talked more about jobs than elephants with the king — not that anyone much wrote about that.

This wasn't the first time that the Spanish king has had an awkward moment with a Florida governor. Scott's predecessor, Charlie Crist, feted Juan Carlos at a royal dinner as part of a food-and-wine fest at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. But Crist isn't a big eater. And he's not known for long talks about foreign policy. So Crist and his wife, Carole, left before dinner was over and left Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía sitting next to empty seats — a protocol no-no. Maybe protocol is just not a Florida forte.

When King Juan Carlos arrived at Miami International Airport several years ago, neither the mayors of Miami-Dade County or the city of Miami were available to greet him, as is customary. About an hour before Juan Carlos' arrival, county officials hastily called then-County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez, who rushed to get dressed up and make it to the tarmac in time for him and then-City Commissioner Tomás Regalado to shake the king's hand. "When he got off the plane, he referred to me as mayor," Gimenez said, recalling the story. "I had to kind of say, I'm not the alcalde, I'm a commissioner.""

[Brassov]

They really look finished, in more ways than one. She looks a nervous wreck, and the King does not look like something the Spanish should be proud of. I feel sorry for her ! She has never done anything wrong to deserve this. I am not surprised she spends so much time away from home ! So would I.