Access other members of the Royal Family from here
His Majesty the King Juan Carlos
His Majesty the King was born on 5 January 1938 in Rome where the Royal Family was living, having had to leave Spain when the Republic was
proclaimed in 1931. His parents were Juan de Borbon y Battenberg, Count of Barcelona and Head of the Spanish Royal Household
since his father, King Alfonso XIII, relinquished this status, and Maria de las Mercedes de Borbon y Orleans.
At the express wish of his father, he was educated in Spain as from the age of ten, after a period as a boarder at the Marianist school in the Swiss town of Fribourg. His parents, meanwhile, had been living since 1946 in the coastal town of Estoril in Portugal.
His education
In 1954 he completed his secondary education at San Isidro School in Madrid and then went on to study at the Military Academies and Colleges of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force reaching the rank of Officer. During that period, he went to sea as a midshipman on the "Juan Sebastian Elcano" training ship, and also qualified as a military pilot. He completed his education from 1960 to 1961 at the Complutense University, Madrid, where he studied constitutional and international law, economics and taxation.
On 14 May 1962, in Athens, he married HRH Princess Sofia of Greece, the eldest daughter of King Paul I and Queen Federica. After their honeymoon, the Prince and Princess went to live at La Zarzuela Palace just outside Madrid which is still their residence today. Their first daughter, HRH the Infanta Elena, was born in 1963, followed two years later by HRH the Infanta Cristina and in 1968 by HRH Prince Felipe.
After his designation as successor to the Head of State in 1969, he embarked on a series of official activities, touring Spain and visiting many foreign countries.
King of all Spaniards
After the death of the Head of State, Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was proclaimed King on 22 November 1975. In his first message to the nation in the Spanish Parliament, he expressed the basic ideas of his reign - to restore democracy and to become the King of all Spaniards, without exception.
The transition to democracy, under the guidance of a new Government, began with the 1976 Law for Political Reform. In May 1977, the Count of Barcelona transferred to the King his dynastic rights and his position as Head of the Spanish Royal Household in a ceremony which confirmed the role of the Crown in the restoration of democracy. A month later, the first democratic elections since 1936 were held, and the new Parliament drew up the text of the current Spanish Constitution which was approved by referendum on 6 December 1978 and received the royal assent in a solemn session of the Parliament on 27 December of the same year.
The Constitution establishes the political form of the State as a parliamentary monarchy in which the King is the arbiter and overseer of the proper working of the institutions. In his message to Parliament, King Juan Carlos expressly proclaimed his firm intention to abide by it and serve it. In fact it was the Monarch who saved the Constitution and democracy during the night of 23 February 1981 when the other Constitutional authorities had been held hostage in the Parliament building in an attempted coup.
During his reign, the King has paid official visits to almost all the countries of the world as well as the main worldwide and regional international organisations.
His role as a statesman
HM the King has encouraged a new style in conducting relations with Latin America, stressing the identity of a cultural community based on a common language and pointing out the need to generate joint initiatives and take part in suitable kinds of co-operative activity. This is the rationale behind the Ibero American Summit Conferences, the first of which was held in Guadalajara in Mexico in 1991.
King Juan Carlos has always insisted on Spain’s European vocation throughout its history, and encouraged it to join the European Communities. The importance of the European Union in the contemporary world and especially in the areas most akin to it, including Latin America, has been stressed by the King in many of his messages.
His pro-European profile and his role in the restoration of democracy in Spain have been acknowledged through many International Awards.
King Juan Carlos, who pays constant attention to intellectual developments and innovation, is Patron of the Royal Academies and maintains close links with cultural circles and especially with universities. He has been invested with honorary doctorates by some 30 Spanish and foreign universities of prestige.
The Spanish language, the heritage of the Spanish-speaking community, and its promising future in today’s world, are subjects of special interest to him. He encouraged the creation of the Foundation in support of the Royal Academy which was set up with the backing of public and private entities in 1994. He is also Patron of the Cervantes Institute which promotes the dissemination of the Spanish language throughout the world. Every year, he presents the Cervantes Award which is granted to the best writers in the Spanish language from both continents.
Through the various Foundations of which he is Patron, he personally supports the creation and development of new technology in Spain, promotes initiatives in the areas of economics, business, research and social advances and encourages solidarity at all levels of society in Spain.
The Constitution establishes that the King shall be the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. In this capacity, His Majesty meets the three Services on the occasion of the annual Military Celebration, chairs the presentation of dispatches and diplomas in the Military Academies and Colleges, visits many units and attends manoeuvres and exercises.
The blazoning of the Coat of arms of His Majesty the King appears in Title II, Rule 1, of Royal Decree 1511 of 21st January, 1977, whereby the Rules for Flags, Standards, Guidons, Banners and Badges are adopted.
His special interests
As a keen sportsman, skiing and sailing being his favourites, King Juan Carlos supports and appreciates sporting activities as a formative influence of unquestionable social value. The King and Queen and the rest of the Royal Family frequently attend sporting events and their support of the Spanish Olympic teams was especially marked during the Olympic Games held in Barcelona in 1992.
Official site of the Royal Household of HM the King
The Zarzuela Palace
Madrid (Spain)
