The Spanish Royal Family and the October Flooding in Spain

[DukeOfWashington]

I'm very proud of them. These images are harrowing but show a King (and his consort) showing up, being with their people, listening to them even when the words they hear aren't nice. This is true leadership.

King Felipe looks like the leader of the nation. He has been able to withstand indignation, physical attacks, remained and stayed to try to calm the situation, listened, conveyed his empathy as much as possible, refused to let any umbrella protect him and refused to flee as the Prime Minister has done.

The juxtaposition of the anger the locals gave when King Filipe, Queen Letitiza and Prime Minister Sánches had when they arrived vs when the PM fled and you have The King and Queen hugging the bereaved locals just looking for support is astounding.

 

[tommy100]

I would say it seems to have been a big mistake to tie their visit with those of the Prime Minister and other government ministers. It was publicised as such so clearly TMs received the same treatment the public wanted for the PM and other government ministers to see.
It is telling that the King carried on while the PM fled and that despite some, maybe even many, of those people there being upset and angry Felipe still went to them to comfort them as much as one can in times like this.

The BBC has a live blog which is reporting that the King & Queen have indeed suspended a planned visit to another area.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1853074085082791988

The Spanish PM fleeing the scene

 

[Adda]

The BBC has a live blog which is reporting that the King & Queen have indeed suspended a planned visit to another area.

Indeed, as it was previously reported, following the tense visit to Paiporta, Felipe and Letizia have also cancelled their trip to Chiva.

They're now in a meeting.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1853111022296482223

La visita de los Reyes Felipe y Letizia a Chiva, cancelada in extremis: este es el motivo

Tras la tensa visita a Paiporta, los Reyes Felipe y Letizia han cancelado también su viaje a Chiva para mantener una reunión de última hora.

www.semana.es

 

[tommy100]

Not that it can probably be avoided but having TMs sat next to the PM is probably not the best right now. Though I noticed they have more mud over them than he does.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Not that it can probably be avoided but having TMs sat next to the PM is probably not the best right now. Though I noticed they have more mud over them than he does.

Thats because he did a runner when it started, protected by umbrellas.

 

[hereditarytitles]

Feleipe and Leti were the targets of the furious people and they were attacked with mud. Just read in a German paper.

Protest gegen Königspaar: Wütende Spanier bewerfen Felipe und Letizia mit Schlamm und Stöcken - WELT

Nach den zerstörerischen Überschwemmungen in der östlichen Region Valencia mit mehr als 200 Todesopfern ist das spanische Königspaar zu einem Besuch im Katastrophengebiet eingetroffen. Doch der Empfang verlief anders als erwartet.

www.welt.de

That is very unfair and I feel sorry for them. They haven't deserved such treatment because what happened is not their fault. I don't even know if it was the fault of the politicians in that area. The only mistake they might have made that they didn't warn the people early enough to leave their houses and go someplace else.
Those accusations were also made in Germany 3 years ago when we had the worst flood in centuries. But I cannot remember that any of the politicians that showed up at the flood sites were treated like that. Some of them had to quit after the desaster, and it took a long time, because even those that were maybe guilty didn't admit that they were.

 

[Muhler]

It is very admirable that the King and Queen went on, when more faint-hearted turned back.

People are venting their, understandable, anger on someone, anyone, in authority. But I bet those who were there, also those who shouted and threw mud, will respect the Regent Couple afterwards for taking it, not turning away and not being hurried inside a car to view the whole disaster zone from the comfort of a car behind a cordon of police officers.
It takes courage not to run away, so to speak and in this case literally, from people who are angry, desperate, distraught and in grief. It takes courage to look such people in their eyes. listen to them, try and offer what comforting words can be offered in such a situation and not merely say something meaningless to a camera.

 

[lula]

Well, news reports are beginning to appear in which some people are identified, and they are not exactly victims of the tragedy or volunteers who have gone to help, but rather people from far-right groups who have wanted to take advantage of the tragedy to create chaos.

 

[Adda]

Felipe and Letizia are back in Madrid.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1853119477505786005

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Well, news reports are beginning to appear in which some people are identified, and they are not exactly victims of the tragedy or volunteers who have gone to help, but rather people from far-right groups who have wanted to take advantage of the tragedy to create chaos.

I'm actually surprised that masses of volunteers are allowed in the area. Of course those who live there, but unrestricted access to everybody? 5 days have passed now.
Usually its restricted to professional technical relief crews because its dangerous, I read that 19 people were lucky to escape poisoning. You need trained specialists with the right equipment, heavy machinery.

 

[Blog Real]

Victoria Federica defends her uncle, Felipe VI, after the riots in Paiporta:
“He stands up for himself when others flee. The only public servant who is always where he should be. Me, with the King”.

"A King who suffers for his people. And a president who despises him".

https://www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com/casas-reales/2024-11-03/victoria-federica-saca-cara-por-felipe-dana-disturbios_3996247/

Videos:

 

[Adda]

It's raining again.

Victoria Federica defends her uncle, Felipe VI, after the riots in Paiporta:
“He stands up for himself when others flee. The only public servant who is always where he should be. Me, with the King”.

"A King who suffers for his people. And a president who despises him".

https://www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com/casas-reales/2024-11-03/victoria-federica-saca-cara-por-felipe-dana-disturbios_3996247/

View attachment 304271View attachment 304272

Oh God, the 5th in line to the throne cannot attack the President of the Government, even when he deserves it. She's doing her uncle no favours.

 

[Blog Real]

Oh God, the 5th in line to the throne cannot attack the President of the Government, even when he deserves it. She's doing her uncle no favours.

I don't think there will be a problem. After all, Victoria Federica will never have any responsibilities in the Spanish Royal House.

 

[tommy100]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1853113683817165283

Does anyone know what is being said here? Letizia looks on the edge.

 

[Adda]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1853113683817165283

Does anyone know what is being said here? Letizia looks on the edge.

"It was not the day to come here"
"You shouldn't have come"
"A country like Spain should be better prepared"
"I'd like to see all the people around you shoveling mud out"
"This government has to leave"
"There's dead people around here because the emergency services did not arrive when they had to"

Felipe: there has to be a balance, if you want then I don't come and stay in Madrid.

 

[Marengo]

If they had arrived later the same people would probably be complaining about what took them so long to show support. The King and Queen did the right thing.

 

[Adda]

If they had arrived later the same people would probably be complaining about what took them so long to show support. The King and Queen did the right.

They are already complaining about it:
"They (the politicians) came 5 days later. If they had come on the first day and had put the wellies on, the people would have supported them"

 

[tommy100]

"It was not the day to come here"
"You shouldn't have come"
"A country like Spain should be better prepared"
"I'd like to see all the people around you shoveling mud out"
"This government has to leave"
"There's dead people around here because the emergency services did not arrive when they had to"

Felipe: there has to be a balance, if you want then I don't come and stay in Madrid.

Thank you.

It is very much a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't. I suspect over time F&L will come out of it okay as they will undoubtedly keep woking hard to help the people in the areas affected even when those in government are long gone.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Its not easy to find the right time to visit. Too soon and you get in the way, too late you don't care.
But whatever you chose, in my opinion was a mistake for the PM and the Royals to visit together.

Queen Letizia bursts into tears after locals pelt her with mud

King Felipe and Queen Letizia brave baying mob

The crowd shouted 'murderers' and other insults at the royals and government officials like Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during the visit on Sunday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Alison H]

Well, news reports are beginning to appear in which some people are identified, and they are not exactly victims of the tragedy or volunteers who have gone to help, but rather people from far-right groups who have wanted to take advantage of the tragedy to create chaos.

That's what happened here after the Southport murders. Unfortunately, there is always someone ready to exploit a tragic situation.

 

[carlota]

What a horrific situation. I think it’s safe to say this has been the worst situation F&L found themselves in since I started following them when they married. Even when they had the 11M events the situation wasn’t so tense.

What happened is so terrible and I feel for these people. I understand their frustration finding themselves in total chaos and having lost their loved ones. But it isn’t F&Ls fault and they are only trying to show support. I also understand their feeling that “it wasn’t the right time” but if they hadn’t shown up they’d have gotten criticised for that too. and if they show up, they create more chaos and divert the resources. There’s simply no way they can do things right but I applaud them for showing up when the governement didn’t even bother. It takes guts to step into zone 0 and confront the angry locals. In all honesty, they were probably misguided - they should have stayed with the professional services, thanking them for their work etc and made it short so as not to disrupt too much.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1853113683817165283

Does anyone know what is being said here? Letizia looks on the edge.

The lady seems to say that it wasn’t the right time to come. L seems to agree. The man continues to shout that the government must leave and asks why the people who were in charge of finding lost ones left the zone. I am not sure what exactly he means by this as it would seem odd they’d leave but I haven’t followed the situation closely to know the context.

 

[Princess B]

A lot of anger was directed at the Queen and King but for reason.
We were not warned about a possible dangerous situation. We were told of heavy rains, which is not uncommon. But even after some towns began flooding there were no sirens to alert other towns. We all instead received an alert the following day. Too little too late.
A lot of places affected are small towns and villages and help reached many well after 24-48 hours.
The government did not mobilize enough resources, but most of the help has come from the local public that volunteered to help.
The government not just failed in alerting about a possible disaster but have failed in everything thereafter.
I understand it was an act of nature and they couldn’t predict on time, but after the first towns flooded why weren’t sirens sounded? Why did we not receive alerts like we did 2 days later.

 

[carlota]

It’s a very terrible situation and clearly something has gone badly wrong in the systems and structures that had to be in place. But it’s seems unfair to direct the anger at them as they aren’t in control of the systems that should have been in place in my opinion.

 

[ppetrica]

A lot of anger was directed at the Queen and King but for reason.
We were not warned about a possible dangerous situation. We were told of heavy rains, which is not uncommon. But even after some towns began flooding there were no sirens to alert other towns. We all instead received an alert the following day. Too little too late.
A lot of places affected are small towns and villages and help reached many well after 24-48 hours.
The government did not mobilize enough resources, but most of the help has come from the local public that volunteered to help.
The government not just failed in alerting about a possible disaster but have failed in everything thereafter.
I understand it was an act of nature and they couldn’t predict on time, but after the first towns flooded why weren’t sirens sounded? Why did we not receive alerts like we did 2 days later.

We all feel very sorry for you, but since this is a royal forum, could you please provide a detailed explanation to us from outside of Spain as to why is all this Felipe and Letizia's fault? From your response, I would conclude that both of them are also elected members of the Government? What is their official power when it comes to sirens, SMS messages, doctors, nurses, firefighters, etc.?

 

[Hans-Rickard]

In such an awful catastrophe where so many has lost basically everything and everyone, there is never a ”good” time to go and visit… Whenever and wherever you go, you are going to see a lot of death, a lot of destruction, a lot of devastation and you are going to be met by a lot of shock, a lot of grief, a lot of anger, and a lot of despair…

Still Felipe has a duty as head of state to be among his people where he needs to be seen most at the moment - even when he won’t be met with applause and cheering… A King must be able to read the situations and handle all kinds of reactions and i think he has done it well

The mistake they did i think was to visit at the same time as the Prime Minister and other politicians… The King and Queen should have visited separately

 

[doro]

I understand the people are angry and sick of the politicians' fake promises

 

[Curryong]

This was not the day to come!' shouted enraged locals at Felipe and Leti (who was apparently seen with sprinkles of mud on her face.)

It's always difficult for royals to know when to visit disaster areas like these in Spain. Go too soon and they could be accused of diverting rescue efforts and official escorts who could be doing something vital to help locals. Leave it too late and they might well be accused of heartlessness and lack of compassion.

I know it's been many decades now but I am reminded in the face of this awful disaster of Queen Elizabeth's response to the tragedy of the coal slide in the Welsh mining village of Aberfan. And I know this was a very minor tragedy in comparison to the Spanish floods, but it was a disaster with loss of life all the same.

The Queen waited a very long time to visit the place on the advice of officials and imo she was lucky that it was then a much more deferential age or she might well have been faced with angry locals as well when she did turn up. It has been said that not going sooner to Aberfan was one of her great regrets. What was worse was that Prince Charles (then very young) wanted to go and physically help dig remaining children out but was denied. Nowadays he just might have been allowed.

 

[JR76]

I've been following the unfolding situation on X all through the day.

In my opinion it's quite clear that the Prime Minister choose to bring the King and Queen with him in the hope that this would defuse the situation a little. As we now know it didn't work and the King remaining steadfast in the middle of the ensuing mayhem while the Prime Minister fled is an image that will most likely prove disastrous for the latter's public image.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1853060847481860575

A video shows how the Queen started crying when a member of the public told her that what was happening wasn't directed at her - "My Queen, this is not for you". You can see her mask crack and soon others come up to shake her hand and hug her. In the back the bleeding face of one in her bodyguard is visible. It seems that while one part of the crowd was very violent another part was, although just as angry, more peaceful and just wanted to voice their concerns and rightful frustration.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1853109427856978255

People on X report that the Queen was heard saying about the reaction of the crowd that "How could they not feel this way? How could they not be angry."

People are also commenting on the clean shoes of government ministers juxtaposed to the muddy shoes of the King and Queen during a briefing later in the day.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1853115215853887850

In my opinion both the King and Queen carried themselves extremely well during an explosive and impossible situation and I could imagine that once the dust settles it will be reflect positively on them.
That said I don't think that this is a day that Felipe and Letizia will ever forget.

 

[Hallo girl]

This was not the day to come!' shouted enraged locals at Felipe and Leti (who was apparently seen with sprinkles of mud on her face.)

It's always difficult for royals to know when to visit disaster areas like these in Spain. Go too soon and they could be accused of diverting rescue efforts and official escorts who could be doing something vital to help locals. Leave it too late and they might well be accused of heartlessness and lack of compassion.

I know it's been many decades now but I am reminded in the face of this awful disaster of Queen Elizabeth's response to the tragedy of the coal slide in the Welsh mining village of Aberfan. And I know this was a very minor tragedy in comparison to the Spanish floods, but it was a disaster with loss of life all the same.

The Queen waited a very long time to visit the place on the advice of officials and imo she was lucky that it was then a much more deferential age or she might well have been faced with angry locals as well when she did turn up. It has been said that not going sooner to Aberfan was one of her great regrets. What was worse was that Prince Charles (then very young) wanted to go and physically help dig remaining children out but was denied. Nowadays he just might have been allowed.

I am not sure if I would call it minor, not on the same scale of people affected but not minor to those children or their families.

 

[Curryong]

Of course it wasn’t minor to the local people who had lost children and loved ones and who have remained deeply affected for the rest of their lives. I was just referring to the scale of the disaster and the large number of lives lost in Spain in my post.