Healthplan Spain

HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

King Juan Carlos Of Spain Abdicates Spain News

King Juan Carlos of Spain is to abdicate after spending almost 40 years as Spain's ruling monarch.

The news was broken in a televised announcement by the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy. The royal family also posted an image to Twitter of the letter that was sent to the Prime Minister from the King confirming his abdication.

The 76 year old King who first came to power just two days after the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco way back in 1975, will now pass his crown to his son Felipe, 45, and his wife former news journalist, Princess Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano.

Although the King has had a number of health scares in recent years which has seen him undergo five operations in the last two years alone, he has stressed that the abdication is more for political purposes, than for health reasons.

The King said in a television and radio broadcast that he was proud of Spain's transition into a democracy and believes that his son Felipe will offer the country more energy from a younger generation and "open a new era of hope".

The King has not been without his critics in recent years and has committed a number of gaffes including in 2012, where he was photographed holding a shotgun in front of a dead elephant in Botswana which was taken while on a hunting trip. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) duly sacked the King as honorary president after an online petition racked up more than 85,000 signatures calling for his resignation.

In another recent scandal, the King was embroiled in a corruption case which involved his daughter, Princess Christina and her husband Iñaki Urdangarin who were accused of embezzlement of public funds in order to fund sporting events.

Many believe that now is a good time for the King to step down, with many young Spaniards hoping that the popular Prince Felipe can point the country in the right direction.