SPAIN: King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia travel to the royal palace in an open top Rolls Royce as thousands of well-wishers cheer them on after a proclamation ceremony held at Spain's Parliament

Record ID: 451535

  • Title: SPAIN: King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia travel to the royal palace in an open top Rolls Royce as thousands of well-wishers cheer them on after a proclamation ceremony held at Spain's Parliament
  • Date: 19th June 2014
  • Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (JUNE 19, 2014) (REUTERS) CROWD LINING STREET WAVING FLAGS FELIPE WAVING FROM CAR / CROWD CHANTING (Spanish) "LONG LIVE THE KING!" AND WAVING FLAGS
  • Embargoed: 4th July 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Spain
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Royalty
  • Reuters ID: LVA3VQ5E4Y8XP1VK89LQAIGUHKIX
  • Story Text: Spain's new king, Felipe VI, was sworn in on Thursday (June 19) in a relatively modest ceremony which monarchists hope will usher in a new era of popularity for the troubled royal household.
    After the ceremony the king rode in an open Rolls Royce through central Madrid with his wife, Queen Letizia, a former journalist and an escort of mounted guards with tasselled helmets in a route decorated by red and yellow flowers, the colour of Spain's flag.
    Thousands of well-wishers, including tourists, lined the route, waving flags and shouting "long live the king."
    Earlier Felipe called for Spain to stay united but respect the cultural differences among its regions, ending a speech by saying "thank you" in four languages: Castilian Spanish, Basque, Catalan and Galician.
    Felipe became king after his father, Juan Carlos, abdicated earlier this month following a series of scandals that led many Spaniards - especially younger generations - to question the role of the monarchy itself.
    The new king, who is 46, wore military uniform with a sash and swore loyalty to Spain's constitution before addressing dignitaries gathered in the lower house of Parliament with a long portion of his speech dedicated to the issue of national unity.
    One of the biggest challenges for Felipe will be whether he can use his symbolic role to spur dialogue between the leaders of Spain and the wealthy north-eastern region of Catalonia, where there is a growing independence movement.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register