Son-in-law asked King to lean on Bernie Ecclestone and others

Iñaki Urdangarín,
Duke of Palma

MADRID According to court records, Iñaki Urdangarín, the Duke of Palma and royal son-in-law in big trouble about his 'non-profit' Nóos Institute, allegedly asked King Juan Carlos for help in bringing together 'people of influence' for the so-called Valencia Summit, which the Institute was supposedly organizing for October 2004. Among the people the king was being asked to 'lean on' were the likes of Bernie Ecclestone (Formula 1 boss), Sepp Blatter (FIFA president), Jacques Rogge (in charge of the International Olympic Committe at the time) and Ernesto Bertarelli (Swiss financier of large swathes of the Americas Cup - the king is a sailing buff) and Bernard Arnault (LVMH luxury goods company owner).>>>

King falls after troop review

(Photo: EFE)

MADRID (Agencies) King Juan Carlos tripped on a stair and fell as he returned from an official troop review at the  General Defense Staff parade yesterday. He carried on with the event, however, with an evidently bloody nose and chin, attending meetings with senior officers and a later press conference. 

King to fishermen: "We are working at a solution and backing you"

Photo: Grupo Joly/Fran Montes

ALGECIRAS King Juan Carlos spent a good part of the day in Algeciras. He arrived by helicopter at about 1pm, landing at the port, on the pier that carries his name and which he opened 12 years ago. He then visited the 'Rio Segura' Guardia Civil patrol vessel. From there he went to the Guardia Civil headquarters, where he listened to an explanation of what the Straits Maritime Watch Service does at its various command posts. Among other subjects, he was told about the unit's vigilance regarding illegal immigration and smuggling operations. At the last stage of his visit, the King received representatives of the fishing community in the area, who are currently involved in controversy with the Government of Gibraltar regarding claims on the waters around the Rock. After listening to their protestations, including one that said that the controversy "is not about the environment, nor about fishing; it is political." The King's concluding words were, "We are working (towards a solution), and we are on your side."

Guardia Civil union calls Royal Navy 'corsairs'

Recent incident (europasur.es)

A synonym for 'corsair' is 'privateer', origin of 'pirate'

SPAIN / GIBRALTAR (Agencies) The Guardia Civil union (UniónGC) announced yesterday that it will demand a retraction from Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, who referred to the GC as 'a paramilitary force' in his speech at the Committee of 24 at the UN, where he also said that Gibraltar will never be Spanish. The announcement came in a note from the union in which it says that the Royal Navy 'plays at being corsairs' in the waters that surround Gibraltar. The GC union's communiqué says>>>

Renewed tension in Algeciras Bay last night

LA LÍNEA While Algeciras and La Línea prepare for their own Royal Visit, local media report about the fishing boat Divina Providencia (Divine Providence), which was fishing in the Bay of Algeciras and was 'accosted' by a Royal Gibraltar Police patrol vessel. One report quoted the head of the fishing fleet of La Línea, Leoncio Fernández, as saying, "She had to go elsewhere to work because you can't fish like that. If the Guardia Civil hadn't been there, she would have been eaten up." Fernández also announced his intention of inviting King Juan Carlos to La Atunara to see the problem with his own eyes. This despite the fact that the fishermen left the latest meeting in Gibraltar to find a solution to the three month old problem full of optimism. "Now I think that the purpose of the meeting was only to drink water," says Fernández, according to another report.

King Juan Carlos to visit Algeciras on June 20 to support Guardia Civil

 Photo: chronicle.gi

Visit is also in response to Prince Edward's visit to Gibraltar

ALGECIRAS King Juan Carlos I is scheduled to visit Algeciras next Wednesday, June 20, to show his support for the Spanish Guardia Civil patrol boats that protect the fishing vessels in the waters close to Gibraltar. He will be visiting the GC Command Centre and later receive the town's insignia from Mayor José Ignacio Landaluce. Another purpose of the royal visit, according to the Spanish media, is to respond in kind to the visit Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex are making to the Rock as we write. The British royal visit has provoked much irritation in Spain, where the government has called it inappropriate, given the situation regarding the dispute over territorial waters that both countries claim as theirs. The last time the King was in Algeciras was in 1990, when he opened a Maersk container terminal that carries his name. (The photo shows an image of the Queen projected onto the North Face of the Rock last night, which could be seen across the Bay of Algeciras.)

Unprecedented royal apology; world media focuses on Spain

SPAIN King Juan Carlos made a public apology about his elephant safari in Botswana. As he came out of hospital yesterday, where he underwent surgery for a broken hip injury sustained on the shoot, he said, "I am very sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again." Such an apology is rare if not unique among Spanish monarchs, and even among European royalty. The Spanish media says that the event was fostered by the heir to the throne, Prince Felipe, who was crucial in handling the public relations gaffe that was the result of the private trip for which the King is supposedly to have paid around the €8,000 mark at a time where unemployment in the country is well over 20%. However, the world's media is paying much attention to this country when we could well do without it. Headlines bark about the monarch, his grandson and son-in-law (you can tell the political stance of almost all of them and grade them on their republican inclinations) but the financial pages look deeply into the crisis, worrying about the need, or otherwise, of a bailout. (More on new measures coming up.)

King and grandson shoot themselves in the foot: media goes ballistic

Father and son

MADRID First, the King's grandson, Felipe Juan Froilán, 13, son of his eldest daughter, the Infanta Elena, and her estranged husband, Jaime de Marichalar, shot himself in the foot last week. Then King Juan Carlos fell over and broke his hip during a private visit to Botswana, where he went out for a shoot over the weekend. Both of these have caused considerable excitement in the Spanish media. The first incident had the boy's father telling the Guardia Civil that the accident happened while they were practicing with guns. Then Marichalar changed his story, saying that it had happened while they were cleaning and putting away their guns. The GC investigated the incident and came to the conclusion that it was indeed an accident, which makes the father liable to a fine of up to €3,000 and the removal of his guns and licences for a period of up to a year - children under 14 are not allowed to handle guns in Spain. Felipe Juan Froilán was released from hospital with a bandaged right foot, while his mother, the King's daughter, is reported to have been less than pleased. The second royal incident happened PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ITEMS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION IN THE FUTURE but you can make a donation NOW, too! Please click here for more information on how to help us continue. (This item was researched, written and edited using several sources; this took some 50 minutes)>>>

King Juan Carlos is home after his latest operation

MADRID (Agencies) King Juan Carlos, 73, is back home and resting after having apre-planned operation on the Achilles tendon of his left foot earlier this morning. The Zarzuela Palace (the king´s residence) announced that the operation, which was carried out by the same team that operated on his knee on June 3, was 'a success'. His Majesty, who was admitted to the San José Clinic in Madrid, is expected to rest for two or three weeks and then submit to rehabilitation for the following three or four months. The operation was made under an epidral anaesthesia and took about an hour an a half. King Juan Carlos had a knee replacement on June 3, which makes the latest, his third operation in just over a year.

King has successful knee replacement

MADRID (Agencies) King Juan Carlos had a knee replacement operation on Friday and was released from hospital yesterday. He will have to continue with physiotherapy and walking on crutches for a while. The medical team that operated on him at the USP San José Hospital in Madrid was headed by Dr.Ángel Villamor, who said that he had been an excellent patient. The King left the hospital amid jokes about the new design of his crutches, which, he said "even has a horn" and "people get out of the way". The knee replacement is the result of a sports injury King Juan Carlos had in 1991, which had deteriorated with time. Before going in for the operation, the King had a 'barney' with the press, accusing the media of 'wanting him dead' - this in relation to his health, which reporters have been saying was not very good at present. However, in the photo he looks remarkably healthy.

King Juan Carlos on private visit to Morocco

Café Argana after bombing

MOROCCO (GibChronicle) King Juan Carlos I of Spain is on a private visit to Marrakesh just one week after the tragic bomb attack on the Café Argana, in the Yemá el Fna square which killed 16 people and bequeathed another 21 injured. According to diplomatic sources, the monarch arrived in Marrakesh yesterday and will be staying until tomorrow. The Moroccan media have given coverage to the royal visit, describing it as a “show of support” for the country after last week’s attack on its leading tourist centre. Don Juan Carlos has travelled to Morocco at the invitation of King Mohamed VI - an invitation that was first issued in August last year during a telephone conversation to and from the two monarchs, in which they discussed finding a solution to the problems on the country’s border with Melilla.>

Juan Carlos I visits 'Juan Carlos I'

ROTA (Agencies/Photo: EFE) King Juan Carlos was at the base in Rota to watch one of the country's latest battle ships go through ices before being launched. This one, which will become the largest ship in the Spanish Armada, is named after the king. Unfortunately, a heavy Levante wind initially prevented the ship from leaving port in the morning, but it was later able to sail close to shore. The ship is in the fourth of five phases of combat trials, during which the monarch, a keen sailor himself, was able to watch several exercises, including a simulated helicopter accident on deck and troops disemberking for an operation landside. This last simulation used 300 men and women, not only from the ship herself but also marines  based in San Fernando. The King toured the ship from top to bottom, although this is not the first time he sees her. Final trials for the 'Juan Carlos I' are scheduled for the end of May and it is expected that she will be combat ready by the end of September.

King Juan Carlos recovering from lung operation

SPAIN
King Juan Carlos underwent an operation to remove a non-malignant nodule from his right lung at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona this morning. Latest medical reports say that he is doing well and is expected to be released from hospital in three or four days. His doctors say that the problem originates with his smoking. The King, 72, and whose most recent annual check-up revealed the problem, carried out his official duties until the last minute. The King's health, usually robust except when related to his liking for sports (skiing and sailing), caused a certain amount of consternation as news leaked out that he was being operated on for a tumour, which was denied by the latest bulletins from the hospital.