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Organization and Budget

The Household of H.M. the King is a constitutional body, the organization and functions of which – in accordance with the provisions of Article 65 of the Constitution – are regulated in detail under Royal Decree No. 434/1988, of 6 May 1988.

This Royal Decree (amended by Royal Decrees 657/1990, 1033/2001 and 1183/2006) states that the Household of His Majesty the King “is an Institution that, responsible directly to His Majesty, is required to serve and support him in all activities deriving from the exercise of his functions as Head of State”..

Like other bodies of Constitutional significance (such as the Congress, the Senate, the General Council of the Judicial Power and the Constitutional Court), the Household of H.M. the King does not form part of any Public Administration. It was created to assist the Head of State in fulfilling his Constitutional functions and to enable his necessary independence with respect to other State bodies.

The above-mentioned Royal Decree 434/1988, which regulates the Household of H.M. the King, specifies that:

• The organization and functioning of this body is subject to certain principles and criteria pertaining to the Administration of the State, notwithstanding its non-inclusion in the latter.
• The offices of the Administration shall provide due advice and support to the Household of H.M. the King, thus avoiding – for reasons of economy – the creation of functional bodies parallel to those existing in the Administration of the State.
• The Household of H.M. the King shall be provided with the following staff: executive managers; managers; career personnel; career personnel as described in the Transitional Provision of Decree-Law No. 6/1976, of 16 June 1976; attached career personnel; non-career personnel.
• The executive managers, managers and career personnel as described in the Transitional Provision of Decree-Law No. 6/1976, of 16 June 1976, as well as the non-career personnel hired by the Household of H.M. the King, shall be remunerated from the overall budgetary provisions approved by the Spanish Parliament each year for the Household of H.M. the King, and specified in the National Budget. Other career personnel and attached staff – all of whom are referred to in a list of staff posts included as an Appendix to that of the Ministry of the Presidency – receive their remuneration from said Ministry.
• The remuneration of the Head of the Household of H.M. the King, of the Secretary General, of the Head of the Military Household (all of whom are executive managers) and that of the management staff correspond, respectively, to that assigned in the National Budget to Ministers, Secretaries of State, sub-Secretaries and Director-Generals. For this reason, each year the Household of H.M. the King applies the same approach to these remunerations as is stipulated in the National Budget for the salaries of equivalent executive posts within the Administration, whether in the form of a percentage increase or of a pay freeze, for budgetary reasons, in accordance with the First Additional Provision of the above-mentioned Royal Decree 434/1988.
• Furthermore, and in accordance with the Second Additional Provision, the regime of incompatible activities for executive managers and managers within the Royal Household is that applicable for executive managers within the Administration (as is also the case regarding the obligation to make a declaration of personal wealth for the Register of National Executive Managers). In the case of other career personnel, the regime of incompatible activities applied is that corresponding to personnel ascribed to the Public Administration.

I. ANNUAL BUDGET

In accordance with the provisions of Articles 65 and 134 of the Constitution, each year Parliament approves the National Budget Law, the first section of which determines — at the proposal of the Government — an annual overall sum for the Constitutional body known as the “Household of H.M. the King”.

This overall amount — the value of which over the last five years is set out in the Table below — is normally the object of an annual variation in line with that applied to other Constitutional bodies. In view of the current need for budgetary austerity, the Household of H.M. the King has requested that the overall assignation for the year 2010 be maintained at the same level as that for 2009.

According to the Constitution, H.M. the King may freely determine the distribution of this sum, intended to fund the staff and functioning costs directly payable by the Household of H.M. the King, as well the maintenance of the Royal Family. The objective of this budget assignation is to ensure that the Office of the Head of State possesses a sufficient budgetary allowance for the Head of State to be able to perform his duties with the independence that is inherent to his Constitutional functions.

By means of this annual sum, the Household of H.M. the King responds to its most direct financial obligations that are not the responsibility of other State bodies. Such obligations include: (1) salaries, contributions and social provisions for executive management, management and non-career personnel for which the Royal Household is responsible; day to day operative costs, such as office materials; certain supplies; protocol and representation expenses (e.g., luncheons, dinners and receptions); transport and board and accommodation expenses; the acquisition of miscellaneous materials for the functioning of different offices within the Royal Household, etc.

(1) Like in most countries in the world, expenses pertaining to Official Trips and Visits are covered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. Also, please refer to the mention below on expenses pertaining to the Security Service, vehicles, upkeep of La Zarzuela Palace, etc...

As occurs with other Constitutional bodies such as the Congress and the Senate, and in other countries in our context — both monarchies and republics — the overall budget assignation to the Household of H.M. the King is not subject to examination by the Court of Audit.

Nevertheless, the Household of H.M. the King does have a Comptroller, a career staffer belonging to the Office of Comptrollers and Auditors of the National Civil Administration, appointed by Royal Decree, who performs his/her tasks in accordance with the general criteria and techniques established by the Comptroller General’s Office.

In the same way, the Household of H.M. the King is no exception from other Constitutional bodies and Ministries in that its security expenses are met by the Interior Ministry, while those concerning official vehicles and their drivers correspond to the State Transport Service, funded by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Zarzuela Palace and other Royal Sites are the property of the State. Their maintenance and upkeep correspond, by law, to the autonomous body Patrimonio Nacional (National Heritage).

Regarding the management and administration of the annual budget of the Household of H.M. the King, the normal procedures of the National Public administration are followed. Furthermore, regarding labour and taxation matters, the Royal Household is fully subject to current legislation.

In addition, the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Asturias, the Infantas and their spouses, are obliged to pay all due taxes, for which purpose they annually present income tax returns and meet their fiscal obligations.

	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Allocation Household of H.M. the King (thousands of €)	8048.51	8289.97	8663.02	8896.92	8896.92 (*)

(*) The Household of H.M. the King, as stated above, has requested that the overall assignation for the year 2010 be maintained at the same level as that for 2009.

II. ORGANIZATION

The structure of the Household of H.M. the King comprises a Head of the Household, the General Secretariat and the Military Chamber.

The Head of the Household manages and inspects all the Household's services.

The Secretary General is the deputy Head of the Household of His Majesty the King, and is in charge of coordinating all the Household's services, as well as replacing the Head of the Household in the event of absence or illness.

The Head of the Military Chamber commands the unit that, within His Majesty's Household, represents the military establishment and is at His Majesty's immediate service.

These three authorities constitute the Household's senior management staff.

1. The Head of the Household

The main responsibility of the Head of the Household of His Majesty the King is to ensure the optimal functioning of its services and the fulfilment of the duties assigned.

As regards economic-financial, budgetary and accounting management, an auditor, with managerial rank, is assigned to the Head of the Household.

2. The General Secretariat

Pursuant to the Standing Orders handed down, on His Majesty’s behalf, by the Head of the Household, by virtue of the mechanism established in Article 14 of Royal Decree 434/1988, the General Secretariat is currently divided into the following Units, whose Heads constitute the Household’s management staff:

• Planning and Coordination Office

This Office is the auxiliary unit for the Head of the Household and for the Secretary General, providing support and immediate collaboration for the fulfilment of the duties assigned in Royal Decree 434/1988. The Office comprises the Dispatch Bureau and Activities and Programmes.

• Secretariat of H.M. the Queen.

In collaboration with the other Units of the Household, the Secretariat of H.M. the Queen carries out the study, preparation and implementation of all matters related to the activities of Her Majesty the Queen and of Their Royal Highnesses the Infantas.

• Secretariat of H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias.

In collaboration with the other Units of the Household, the Secretariat of H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias carries out the study, preparation and implementation of all matters related to the activities of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and the Princess of Asturias.

• Security Service

The Security Service is permanently responsible for the immediate security of the Royal Family. It is composed of a Head of Security and members of the State Security Forces, appointed by the Ministry of the Interior.

• Relations with the Media.

This unit keeps in touch with media professionals, informing them of the scheduled official activities of the Royal Family, as well as of the content and programme of such activities.

• Protocol.

It prepares and manages the protocol of the Royal Family's official activities, both in Spain and abroad.

• Administration, Infrastructure and Services.

This unit manages the economic-budgetary and staff aspects of the Household. It manages and coordinates the telecommunications and information systems. It coordinates the general maintenance services of the facilities of La Zarzuela Palace. This unit comprises the former Caretaker Unit and the Communications and IT Centre.

The General Secretariat has a staff of 137 civil servants, in addition to those appointed to the Security Service by the Ministry of the Interior.

3. The Military Chamber

It prepares the military activities of the members of the Royal Family, and it is in charge of the relations of a military nature with the authorities of the Ministry Defence. The Military Chamber comprises:

• A General Officer on active duty.

This General Officer is the Head of the Military Chamber, and the Royal Guard is at his orders for all intents and purposes, by virtue of delegation by the Head of the Household.

For support and immediate collaboration, the Head of the Military Chamber has an Office, a Military Legal Advisor and a Military Auditor.

The Office has four Sections, which deal with issues regarding Staff, Protocol, Operations and Logistics, respectively.

• The Aides-de-camp to His Majesty the King.

The Aides-de-camp provide permanent assistance to His Majesty and, during official activities, to Her Majesty the Queen and to Their Royal Highnesses the Infantas Doña Elena and Doña Cristina. They also take part in the retinue of honour of foreign Heads of State on official visit to Spain.

Four belong to the Army, two to the Navy, two to the Air Force and one to the Civil Guard.

• The Aides-de-camp to His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias.

The Aides-de-camp provide permanent assistance to His Royal Highness and, during official activities, to Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias. One belongs to the Army, one to the Navy and one to the Air Force.

• The Royal Guard

This a combined military unit with regimental status, composed of military staff of all ranks belonging to the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Common Corps of the Armed Forces.

Its essential tasks comprise providing military guard and honours and to give solemn escort to H.M. the King and to the members of the Royal Family so entitled, as well as to foreign Heads of State on official visits to Spain, when so ordered.

As a military unit, it takes part in exercises and manoeuvres with other forces and collaborates in similar activities promoted by the Ministry of Defence or the Headquarters of the Army, Navy or Air Force, as well as in peace maintenance operations.

Organization chart of the Royal Household of H.M. the King

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