Does Spain still need a King? (Royal Palace Madrid Tour)

Does Spain still need a King? (Royal Palace Madrid Tour)

Madrid wears its crown in stone 
and marble. Palaces, statues, a history carved into every square. The king 
is everywhere yet nowhere. A symbol carried through centuries. But in today’s Spain, 
does the crown still matter? Some see pride, others see a relic. And standing here in the 
heart of Madrid, I can’t help but wonder, does Spain still need a king? For centuries, kings were 
more than men. They were guardians of empires, arbittors of war and peace. They held the weight 
of nations on their shoulders. But nowadays, the crown is lighter and the king no longer rules. 
So what does it mean to keep a monarch when the throne has no longer power? Does Spain still need 
its king or only the memory of one? Nowadays, the situation here in Spain is a bit difficult. 
Spain is divided. There are separatist movements, for example, in Catalunya that claim to no longer 
need a king in Spain or to even want to separate themselves from Spain and the crown. Some people 
see it as necessary, but others feel that it is not really needed anymore for the government. 
But to better understand the current situation here in Spain, let me explain you 
how the role of the king evolved over the last centuries. In the 8th century, the first kings 
ruled over territory that nowadays is Spain. But I don’t want to go back this far in time. I want 
to start with the age of empire that started with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in the late 15th 
century. After the voyage of Christopher Columbus, Spain became a global empire in the 16th century. 
At that time, kings were absolute rulers. They controlled politics, colonies, religion, 
and military, but the Napoleonic invasion in 1808 weakened the Spanish crown. Spain was 
forced to accept Napoleon’s brother as king, sparking a brutal guerrilla war. The resistance 
movement inspired one of the first liberal constitutions in Europe. But when Ferdinand VII 
returned, he abolished it and restored absolutism, leading to a century of political turmoil. 
The Napoleonic invasion shook Spain to its core. The monarchy lost legitimacy. Across the 
Atlantic, colonies seized the moment and declared independence. By the time Spain reacted, much of 
its empire was gone. Spain was left devastated, economically ruined, and politically unstable. In 
the 20th century, King Alfonso VIII was forced into exile, and the second Spanish Republic was 
declared. Under Franco’s dictatorship, the monarchy was abolished. But after Franco’s death, 
Juan Carlos I was named king and he led Spain into democracy. He was the grandson of Alfonso 
VIII. In 1978, a new Spanish constitution was declared and Spain was declared a parliamentary 
monarchy. And that is what it remains until today. Spain remains a monarchy. And you might 
think that the king has unlimited power, but that is definitely not the case. 
The power that the king used to have during the age of empire is long gone. The 
modern role of the king is rather symbolic. He is the head of the state, but the political 
power is held by the president of Spain, while the king’s function is really only symbolic 
and diplomatic. I can’t help but wonder if the king of Spain doesn’t have that much power 
anymore, why does Spain hold on to him? And even though the king nowadays doesn’t 
have the power anymore that he used to have, he of course still lives like a king. And to 
better understand the history of the royal family here in Spain, we are about to enter the 
royal palace of Spain. It was built in the 18th century and it is the state residence of the 
royal family. However, under Juan Carlos I, the royal family moved to the outskirts of 
Madrid where it’s a little bit calmer and less touristic as well. This palace here is 
only being used for banquets and important events like receptions. Let’s enter the palace 
now and we’ll see well more historical places of Madrid and the royal family. [Music] It’s 
super beautiful. It’s very touristic obviously, but absolutely stunning. You can see a lot of 
details pretty much everywhere. And I don’t know where to look first because everything 
you see is just absolutely stunning. This is only the entrance hall. And even the roof is 
beautifully decorated with beautiful paintings, a lot of gold, a lot of red. I like it a lot. 
It’s It’s definitely worth it so far. It is a very important historical site as this used to be 
the official residence of the royal family until the 19th century. But you can see all these people 
here. It’s absolutely understandable that the king nowadays doesn’t want to live here anymore. Also, 
because here in the surroundings, we are in the heart of Madrid. It’s always crowded and there’s 
always lots of people and tourists here. [Music] It’s absolutely impressive to walk through these 
huge wooden doors to see all the details. Every room I’ve seen so far is just stunning. I 
don’t have words to describe this, but honestly, it is way more beautiful than I had expected. Now, 
this is how you imagine a palace. Right behind me, you can now see the thrones. One of them is 
for the king and the other one for the queen. There are statues next to them. And again, this is 
a very beautiful room, rich in detail and in red velvet decorations and gold decorations 
everywhere. The room is grand but intimate, designed to impress visiting dignitaries. Every 
detail communicates royal authority, Spain’s imperial past, and the continuity of the monarchy. 
Even though the current king doesn’t live here, the room still represents the ceremonial 
heart of the Spanish crown. Historically, this room was used to help official audiences 
and to receive foreign ambassadors. Nowadays, this room is only used for state visits 
and obviously for public tours. [Music] Even though a king doesn’t have political power 
anymore, he probably still has his own ideology. And in general, a king can also vote. He’s like 
every other Spanish citizen that has the right to vote. However, the current king, King Felipe VI 
has never voted, and that is probably to avoid uncomfortable questions or to take a political 
side. Kings are usually more like mediators and they cannot publicly oppose a government 
for example and I definitely understand that because as a king you definitely have to take 
care about what you say and do. The question is is a king really free and I personally would 
say not really. Of course a king lives an amazing life. I mean he lives in a palace. He never has 
to worry about money or hunger or any problems other people have. But in general, he cannot 
choose his own path. He is born into a family and his story is basically written from the 
first moment on. It doesn’t matter if he has any specific interests in I don’t know medicine or 
law. If he wants to become a lawyer or anything, he won’t be able to do so. He will be king. We 
tend to romanticize a little bit the life of princesses and princess. But the reality does 
look a little bit different. Now what happens actually if a king does not fit into the royal 
image? Well, in general, it’s the king’s task to protect the royal image. If he cannot do 
so, there’s only one option that he can take. A king can decide to not continue with his 
position anymore. If he does that, he loses all his official obligations and he will become a 
normal Spanish citizen, but he will probably still have some advantages from his former position 
according to laws and the agreements made. It actually happened before. The king that probably 
made most headlines worldwide is King Juan Carlos I. He was known for his parties and his love for 
women. and he abdicated in 2014 in favor of his son who is not King Felipe VI. He signed his 
abdication right here in this room in 2014 and he did so in order to improve the royal image and 
also to well basically do what the population of Spain wanted. The king cost Spain around €8 
million per year. A small sum in a national budget but a large one when measured against 
trust. After the scandals of King Juan Carlos I, Spain’s transparency questioned. The monarchy in 
Spain dates back to medieval times. However, it is becoming more and more modern and the abdication 
of King Juan Carlos I in 2014 is only one sign of the modernization. At that time, Juan Carlos I 
responded to public opinion. The Spanish wanted a republic because of well basically all of the 
taxes wasted by the king and all of the scandals. So Juan Carlos I responded with his abdication 
something that during medieval times obviously would have never been possible. Besides that the 
current king and queen they live a bit more modern as well. King Filipe V married nowadays Queen 
Leticia who was a divorced woman and a journalist that he met through common friends again something 
that in medieval times wouldn’t have been possible and they now have a daughter and the daughter 
will be the first woman becoming the queen of Spain it used to be always the firstborn son that 
became king of Spain but in 2005 they changed the succession laws and allowed equal rights It’s 
for the female heirs. Despite the modernization, for many, the crown is already tarnished. Scandal 
and exile have cast long shadows. The king may still stand for unity, but unity is fragile. I 
got to be honest, when I started to do my research about the royal family in Spain, I always thought 
that royal families just cost a lot of money, and they definitely do. However, I definitely 
understand the function behind the royal family a bit better now because I also realize that in 
Germany, my country, we actually have something similar, but that person doesn’t have that special 
title of the king. So, countries such as Germany and also Austria and Italy do have a president 
that doesn’t really have political power. In the example of Germany, we do have the chancellor 
that has all political power and takes all the political decisions. But we also have a president. 
It’s a person that represents the country, a state representative, so to say. He has a 
symbolic function. He also signs a few laws, but he really doesn’t have any political 
power. I now definitely understand a little bit better the thought behind the royal 
family and also the function of the king. The monarchy of Spain is a very complex system. 
It has a long history and a lot of traditions that are rooted deeply in this country. And as 
always, there are arguments for the monarchy and arguments against it. Let me know your thoughts in 
the comment section below. I would love to read them. The king is no longer Spain’s ruler, but 
he remains its symbol, a reminder of glory, of scandal, of unity, of doubt. In Madrid, the crown 
feels both timeless and fragile. Admired by some, ignored by others. Perhaps Spain doesn’t need 
a king, but perhaps it isn’t ready to let him go either. And in that contradiction, 
the story of Spain continues.

Spain became a monarchy centuries ago and remains a parliamentary monarchy until today. But does Spain still need a king?

King Felipe VI is Spain’s current king and Spain has a long history of kings, from the Age of Empire until today. In today’s video I will tell you more about the history of Spain’s monarchy, why it remains a monarchy, as well as the functions of the king. To to so, I will give you a tour through the royal palace of Madrid.

#madrid #royalpalace #spaintravel

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