Felipe VI to be Crowned in Madrid

Moscow – Coronation ceremony of 46-year-old Felipe VI and his wife Letizia Ortiz will start in Madrid at 9:30 a.m. (07:30 GMT) and will herald a new historical era in Spain.

The coronation takes place when the monarchy’s approval rating is at a historic low.

In the current situation, a change of generations is absolutely essential.

Outgoing monarch King Juan Carlos I acknowledged this and noted a new generation must be at the forefront.

He abdicated on June 2 this year in favor of his son Felipe VI, the first Spanish king with a university degree.

During almost forty years of King Juan Carlos I’s reign, a whole generation grew up without knowing dictatorship and wondering why today’s Spain needs a monarchy at all.

Opinion polls show Felipe VI as the leading Spanish royal family member.

Seventy percent of the population support him as head of Spain and believes he’s well-prepared to carry out his duties.

Since 1996, long before he became king, Felipe VI took part in more than 300 official acts.

All his education pursued one objective – to make a professional monarch out of him.

The preparations were particularly intensive during the last two years.

”My son personifies maturity and stability. He’s better prepared for his role than any of his predecessors,” Juan Carlos I said recently.

Juan Carlos I is associated with Spain’s bloodless transition from dictatorship to democracy and EU membership.

He’ll not take part in the coronation ceremony.

As Spanish media reported, this aims to distance the new monarch from his predecessor whose popularity rapidly declined since start of the economic crisis.

The reason for this was corruption scandal around princess Cristina and her husband, businessman and former sportsman Inaki Urdangarin.

The ceremony will be very low-key, without excessive pomp.

After the coronation, the new royal couple will drive around Madrid to the royal palace for the official reception.

There will be unprecedented security measures at the coronation ceremony.

Air space above the city will be closed to avoid a rocket or drone attack.

A total 120 snipers will be placed on roofs and about 5,000 to 7,000 policemen will patrol the streets and prevent any unsanctioned protests.

Spain’s interior ministry banned any mass protests during the ceremony.

Madrid Mayor Ana Botella asked her constituents to hang flags along streets. (PNA/RIA Novosti) LGI/CJT/RSM

Image Credit: www.ctpost.com