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The Constitution, which you have mentioned 12 times, more than once a minute; and the unity of Spain, which it has taken for granted in the face of those who predict its rupture. These were the issues to which the King dedicated his tenth Christmas message since coming to the throne on Sunday night, almost monographically. He could have referred to many other issues, as he himself acknowledged at the beginning of his speech, but aware that it is his most followed speech – 6.7 million television viewers last year – a unique opportunity to get into the homes of Spanish families without intermediaries, he preferred to focus on two issues that he considers particularly serious, judging by his tone and his words.
If last year Felipe VI already warned of the risk posed by the "deterioration of coexistence" and the "erosion of institutions", this time he has gone a step further. He has alluded, without quoting it, to one of the darkest pages in the history of Spain – the Civil War that devastated the country 87 years ago and opened the way to almost four decades of dictatorship – and warned against the temptation to relapse into fratricidal confrontation.
"Thanks to the Constitution, we managed to overcome division, which has been the cause of many mistakes in our history; that opened wounds, fractured affections and distanced people," he said. "Overcoming that divide, therefore, was our main success almost five decades ago. For this reason, it is a moral duty that we all have to prevent the germ of discord from ever settling among us. Because we can't afford it," he added.
At a time when insult seems to have taken hold in Spanish political life and agreements between parties are presented as a concession or a betrayal, the King stressed that, "in Spain, every citizen has the right to think, express themselves and defend their ideas". But that must be done, he added, "with respect for others." And bearing in mind that "democracy also requires basic and broad consensus on principles" shared. Namely: "Freedom, Justice, Equality and Political Pluralism"; those values that "cohere, give strength and permanence to a democratic system" such as the Spanish one. "We must not forget that one of our great assets in democracy is coexistence," he stressed.
After his call to banish tension and recover consensus, Felipe VI issued a serious warning to the institutions of the State, reminding them that they must conduct themselves "with the greatest responsibility" and "always seek the general interests of all Spaniards, with loyalty to the Constitution". And he emphasized: "Each institution, starting with the King, must place itself in the place that constitutionally corresponds to it, exercise the functions attributed to it and comply with the obligations and duties that the Constitution indicates to it."
In recent weeks, sectors of the far right have tried to pressure the head of state to abandon his role as arbiter and get involved in the political battle. At the same time, the government has stressed that the PP's refusal to comply with its constitutional obligations and sit down to negotiate has blocked the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) for five years.
"We must also respect the other institutions in the exercise of their own powers and contribute mutually to their strengthening and prestige," added the monarch, in a statement ambiguous enough that those who argue that the amnesty invades the powers of the courts are protected by those words, but so can those who criticize the fact that the CGPJ ruled on the bill that includes the measure of grace when it didn't even exist. Those who reproach the PP for taking domestic quarrels to the European institutions, in the face of the King's call to "always watch over the good name, dignity and respect" of Spain, can also be considered endorsed. But in that same phrase can find protection those who argue that the government is wrong to make pacts with parties, such as Junts, which have been attacking Spain's image abroad for years.
In what has not been polysemic, his speech has been in the closed defence of the Constitution, "the greatest political success of our recent history", in his words, which has made it possible not only to "build and consolidate a full, open and inclusive democracy, a social and democratic State of law", but also "to overcome various and serious crises in recent years", he added, in the only veiled allusion to the Catalan independence process.
Felipe VI has claimed the Constitution "as an instrument and guarantee" so that "the lives of Spaniards can continue to run with confidence, stability and certainty", but he has warned that it must not only be respected, but also its identity must be preserved "as a collective pact" and its integrity preserved "as a place of mutual recognition, acceptance and meeting approved by all Spaniards". He has categorically warned: "Apart from respect for the Constitution, there is no democracy or possible coexistence; there are no freedoms, only imposition; There is no law but arbitrariness. Outside the Constitution there is no Spain in peace and freedom."
After the warnings and admonitions, he conveyed a message of optimism and confidence in the ability of Spanish society to avert the risks and overcome the challenges that lie ahead. He has presented Spain as a "strong society", which had "exemplary civic behaviour" in the face of the pandemic, demonstrated "courage, dignity and principles in the face of terrorism"; and defended its constitutional values "when they have been called into question or called into question."
"The ultimate reason for our successes and progress in recent history has been precisely the unity of our country," he emphasized, adding: "I have no doubt that unity will also be the key for us to successfully face the serious and complex risks that Spain faces today."
Neither Gaza nor Ukraine
At a time when the pro-independence forces are retreating electorally but gaining political influence, the King has chased away the spectre of the supposed danger of a breakdown of national unity. "Spain will move forward," he said. "With determination, with hope, we will do it together, aware of our historical and current reality, of our truth as a nation. The Crown will always be on that path, not only because it is my duty as King, but also because it is my conviction."
The Constitution and national unity have monopolized a discourse of similar length to that of last year (1,467 words) from which international politics has been excluded, except for an allusion to the Spanish presidency of the EU. He did not mention the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza or the war in Ukraine, which he did talk about last Christmas. On the other hand, he has included "economic and social difficulties", employment, health, education, the price of basic services, "unacceptable violence against women" or young people's access to housing among the issues he would have liked to talk about, but he has only done so to ensure that the rights linked to these "are those that the Constitution protects, it guarantees and protects."
It is the same Constitution, he recalled, that the Princess of Asturias swore in on 31 October before the Parliament, when she reached the age of majority. Although Eleanor of Bourbon has taken a strong role this year, she has only mentioned it again at the end; when, on behalf of the Royal Family, he said goodbye wishing a Merry Christmas in Spanish, Basque, Catalan and Galician. The image of the heiress, however, has been present throughout the speech through the only photograph that could be seen on the King's back: that of the day his daughter swore in the Constitution.
The Zarzuela shows the Royal Family with the people
The images that appear after Felipe VI's speech, while the national anthem is played, show the King, the Queen, the Princess of Asturias and the Infanta Sofía greeting in Madrid (oath of Leonor de Borbón), at the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, in the Canary Islands with families affected by the volcano of La Palma, or Yuste (Carlos V Awards) during 2023. They all have a common link, the closeness of the Royal Family to the people, except for the last one, in which the King and Queen dress up for the coronation of Charles III of England. Like last year, Felipe VI's speech was recorded in the audience hall of the Zarzuela Palace, where the King appears seated in a blue suit, white shirt with stripes and tie.