Spain on Friday marked the 50th anniversary of the restoration of its monarchy with a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Madrid, where King Felipe VI urged a return to the spirit of dialogue that defined the country’s democratic transition.
In a speech emphasising consensus in a time of “tension” and “division,” the King praised his father, Juan Carlos I, for taking a “revolutionary political step” in steering Spain away from dictatorship in the 1970s.
Felipe VI awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece, Spain’s highest royal honour, to his mother Queen Sofía, former prime minister Felipe González, and the two surviving “fathers” of the 1978 Constitution, Miquel Roca and Miguel Herrero de Miñón. He described their efforts as “decisive” in building a democratic system grounded in mutual respect.
The King said that legacy remains essential today, calling for “the word over the shout” and agreements that serve the common good.
