The Spanish Royal Family and the October Flooding in Spain

[lula]

The only mistake might have been to go together with Sanchez in the first place but not sure who has the final word on such planning.

The final decision is up to the government, they decide who accompanies the King. Curiously, the Sánchez Government is the most informal government in democracy when it comes to accompanying the King, and on more than one occasion the ministers have delegated to Secretaries of State, which has raised much criticism.

The King and Sanchez had a meeting on Friday, it seems that the decision was that as they had done after La Palma volcano they should go together and with the President of the Community to give an image of unity of the State. Probably the politicians, especially the Government, did not calculate the animosity that could exist. Sánchez had already visited Valencia, but only the emergency office, far from the crowd, and even then he was booed at the entrance.

After Sánchez's bad image, his entourage tried to blame the Royal House for insisting on going and said that the day before they had wanted to cancel it... but it is clear that the Royal House could not back out when they had already announced it. The King cannot be replaced but any minister could have accompanied the King and things would have been calmer.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

The Spanish people in general and the Valencians in particular have suspended (rejected or disapproved?) the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez ; the President of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón , and the Ministers Fernando Grande-Marlaska (Interior) and Margarita Robles (Defense).
However, they do support the actions of Felipe VI and Letizia , and give them a high mark. Both visited Paiporta on Sunday and decided to stay in the town , despite the risk to their safety. Mazón also held out. Sánchez, on the other hand, was evacuated by his security services.

The worst rated of all is the President of the Government. Valencians give Sánchez a score of 2.6, a figure that drops even further, to 2.4, when asking all Spaniards.

The decision to stay in Paiporta this Sunday to console the neighbours has been well received by the Valencians, who give the King and Queen an even higher rating than the rest of the Spanish people. Felipe VI gets a 7.6 for the Valencians and a 7.1 for the rest of the Spanish people, while Letizia gets a 7.7 for 7.1.
Valencians value the Queen above all else. The images of Letizia crying while comforting her neighbours and asking for forgiveness may have generated greater empathy among citizens.

Thank you so much! I saw the images of Letizia crying and comforting people - was she asking for forgiveness or being empathic with people?

 

[lula]

Tomorrow, Queen Letizia will meet with representatives of Caritas Spain, the European Network for the Fight against Poverty and Social Exclusion in Spain (EAPN-ES), the Volunteer Platform of Spain and the Permanent Commission of the Third Sector Platform, the Children's Platform of Spain and the Red Cross.

La Reina pide a entidades sociales una "atención constante y sostenida en el tiempo" para los damnificados por la DANA

La Reina Letizia ha pedido a las distintas entidades sociales que están prestando asistencia a los más de...

www.europapress.es

The King will return to Valencia to learn about the military operations that are helping in the areas affected by the DANA

On Tuesday he will visit the Galicia ship and the Bétera base

El Rey volverá a Valencia para conocer los operativos militares que ayudan en las zonas afectadas por la DANA

El martes visitará el buque Galicia y la base de Bétera

www.abc.es

 

[lula]

Queen Letizia meets with representatives of Caritas Spain, the European Anti-Poverty Network-EAPN, the Volunteer Platform of Spain, the Third Sector Platform, the Children's Platform of Spain and the Red Cross.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1855200555347653093

 

[Blog Real]

More photos:

HomeActividades y Agenda - Reunión con entidades sociales de ámbito nacional, que están trabajando en la atención básica de las personas afectadas por la DANA

Detalle Actividad - Reunión con entidades sociales de ámbito nacional, que están trabajando en la atención básica de las personas afectadas por la DANA

casareal.es

Video:

Meeting with social entities at a national level: Red Cross, AECC, FEDER, ONCE, Mental Health and CERMI, which are working to help people affected by DANA.

Inicio - Actividades y Agenda - Reunión con entidades sociales de ámbito Nacional: Cruz Roja, AECC, FEDER, ONCE, Salud Mental y CERMI, que están trabajando para ayudar a las personas afectadas por la DANA

Detalle Actividad - Reunión con entidades sociales de ámbito Nacional: Cruz Roja, AECC, FEDER, ONCE, Salud Mental y CERMI, que están trabajando para ayudar a las personas afectadas por la DANA

www.casareal.es

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Still lots of (violent) protest in the region. Felipe will visit again on Tuesday, this time alone and focused on the military personnel, not face to face with people.

Valencia protests turn ugly as 130,000 call for officials to go

The region was the worst hit by the deadly storm, the most serious in decades, which killed at least 220 people and left towns and cities swamped with mud.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Alondra]

There's been a massive demonstration against the President of the autonomous region in Valencia. The demonstration WAS NOT violent except for very small incidents.

Please stop quoting the Daily Mail, a rag only concerned about creating sensationalistic crap

La indignación toma las calles de Valencia tras el desastre de la dana

Una marcha multitudinaria reclama la dimisión de Mazón. Unas 130.000 personas, según la Delegación del Gobierno, acuden a la manifestación de Valencia, que transcurre de forma pacífica con algunos incidentes sobre todo al término de la misma

elpais.com

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I think DM has the same source as every other international news outlet, they all speak of violent clashes

Spain protests: Police and protesters clash in Valencia following demonstration | Spain Floods

Violent clashes erupted in downtown Valencia as thousands of protesters confronted police during a rally demanding accountability for the government’s response to recent deadly floods in Eastern Spain. Protesters gathered to voice anger over the alleged mishandling of the crisis that claimed...

economictimes.indiatimes.com

Demo nach Hochwasser in Valencia: 130.000 wütend auf der Straße

Mehr als 130.000 Menschen protestieretn in Valencia gegen die schleppende Hilfe der Regierung nach der Unwetter-Katastrophe. Die Polizei reagiert gewaltsam.

www.bild.de

 

[An Ard Ri]

There was more flooding in Spain ,this time in the Girona and Cadaqués region

 

[Blog Real]

The Spanish Royal House has confirmed that King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia plan to visit DANA-affected areas in Valencia next week.

https://www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com/casas-reales/2024-11-12/felipe-reina-letizia-valencia-volveran-firma-decision_4001972/

 

[lula]

King Felipe, at the “Jaime I” Military Base in Bétera (Valencia), visits the Command Post of the Military Emergency Unit to learn about the progress of the recovery efforts in the areas affected by the DANA.

EL REY FELIPE VISITA LA BASE MILITAR DE BÉTERA (VALENCIA) 9 DÍAS DESPUÉS DE SU TENSA VISITA A PAIPORTA - Todos - ..:GTRESONLINE:..

EL REY FELIPE VISITA LA BASE MILITAR DE BÉTERA (VALENCIA) 9 DÍAS DESPUÉS DE SU TENSA VISITA A PAIPORTA - Todos - ..:GTRESONLINE:..

images.gtresnews.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1856358120575897892

El Rey vuelve a Valencia tras la DANA | Las Provincias

DANA EN VALENCIA | El Rey vuelve a Valencia tras la DANA

www.lasprovincias.es

https://twitter.com/x/status/1856391887210344528

https://twitter.com/x/status/1856398034248122721

Visit to the Logistics Centre of Valencia

FELIPE VI SE INTERESA POR EL REPARTO DE LOGÍSTICA EN VALENCIA - Todos - ..:GTRESONLINE:..

FELIPE VI SE INTERESA POR EL REPARTO DE LOGÍSTICA EN VALENCIA - Todos - ..:GTRESONLINE:..

images.gtresnews.com

 

[lula]

King Felipe visits the Amphibious Assault Ship “Galicia” docked in the Port of Valencia

https://twitter.com/x/status/1856418798418501786

https://twitter.com/x/status/1856424092213088689

 

[Blog Real]

More photos:

Inicio - Actividades y Agenda - Visita de S.M. el Rey a Unidades Militares desplegadas en la Comunidad Valenciana con motivo de la DANA

Detalle Actividad - Visita de S.M. el Rey a Unidades Militares desplegadas en la Comunidad Valenciana con motivo de la DANA

www.casareal.es

 

[lula]

Main Logistics Base of the Army at the Valencia Trade Fair

https://twitter.com/x/status/1856437949438800111

https://twitter.com/x/status/1856438863910043778

 

[Healthy Sceptic]

This is what the first visit to the area should have looked like IMO. Felipe should have put his own personnel on the ground if the government couldn't do so. There's no reason for it to have taken a week for qualified rescuers to be put in place.

Put soldiers on the ground and wait a couple of days for the effects to be noticed, then visit those troops and make a brief visit to the people of the areas affected. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. It's good that he has made this step now at least.

 

[Curryong]

Yes, it certainly took far too long for rescue efforts to commence when it should at the most have started within 24 hours. In many countries, including mine, there is a committee that is in charge of natural disaster efforts and acts within hours, with longterm plans already in place.

However, King Felipe is a constitutional monarch. It is not his responsibility or duty to be sending his own personnel anywhere (and what practical help could they be in the immediate aftermath anyway)?.

As for ordering soldiers to appear on the ground (to assist the local police forces help quell civil unrest and looting presumably) that is not in Felipe’s remit either without government agreement. Indeed, in the face of local anger and despair such an action could possibly have made things worse.

All the King could possibly do in the face of the governmental inaction and incompetence would be to vigorously protest it (as I’m sure he did) and if necessary quickly make it known publicly that he was at one with his people in the affected areas.

 

[Healthy Sceptic]

I believe, please correct me if I'm wrong, but the troops he's visiting today are his own guards which he does have control of. Granted, it would have looked bad if he had mobilized his own troops before the government did, and that could have been a constitutional problem. I'm not familiar enough with Spanish politics to say.

These are trained military personnel, they would have been of great use in the days following the flooding. Instead, totally unqualified civilians and local rescuers faced the enormous task of cleanup and rescue by themselves.

 

[Curryong]

I don’t know either, to be honest, but my bet is that while all armed forces may well swear an oath to serve the monarch (as they do in the UK) for all practical purposes in a constitutional monarchy they are under the remit of the Ministry of Defence or its equivalent and cannot do anything without direct orders from the MOD.

I agree, it was a terrible situation for the civilian population in Valencia, and (this is only my view of course) there should be resignations en-masse from disgraceful governmental agencies and ministers who did not act as soon as they could.

 

[lula]

The King has visited various units of different armies deployed in Valencia, mainly the Military Emergency Unit, the Army and the Navy. Today he visited a barracks of the Military Emergency Unit that is permanently in a town in Valencia and the Navy ship Galicia. There are currently 7,500 soldiers deployed in the area. There are also police officers, civil guards and firefighters deployed from different regions.

The Royal Guard only has 1,500 soldiers, and obviously some of them have to continue fulfilling their obligations in Madrid. The King only has direct control over these soldiers and offering part of them was a gesture to push the Government and the Community of Valencia to move, make decisions and deploy more troops.

 

[Curryong]

I have no doubt it was.

However, the wiki page states regarding the Royal Guards


‘Upon Franco's death and the ascension of King Juan Carlos I as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the guards regiment was integrated into the new army under the king, forming the basis of what is now the modern day Guardia Real - the Royal Guards Regiment (Regimento de la Guardia Real), which is responsible to the king through the Ministry of Defense.[2] In the 1980s it grew into a three-battalion regiment. Today it is a four-battalion unit that serves as the protocol and security service of the Spanish royal family.’

In other words, yes it is responsible to the King. However, it also operates through the Ministry of Defence, so presumably the MOD would have consented to the actions of King Felipe you have described.

 

[Healthy Sceptic]

The King has visited various units of different armies deployed in Valencia, mainly the Military Emergency Unit, the Army and the Navy. Today he visited a barracks of the Military Emergency Unit that is permanently in a town in Valencia and the Navy ship Galicia. There are currently 7,500 soldiers deployed in the area. There are also police officers, civil guards and firefighters deployed from different regions.

The Royal Guard only has 1,500 soldiers, and obviously some of them have to continue fulfilling their obligations in Madrid. The King only has direct control over these soldiers and offering part of them was a gesture to push the Government and the Community of Valencia to move, make decisions and deploy more troops.

Thank you very much, Lula. I was hoping you would provide some clarity.

King Felipe is doing the best he can in a difficult position. It must be terrible to have to play politics when all he wants is to help his people.