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 His
education
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.
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.
Marrieds
 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.
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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.
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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.
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Source: Official
site of the Royal Household of HM the King |
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