Why Spanish flood survivors lash out at their royal family

But the relationship between the Spanish electorate and the royal family can often be complicated – not least a series of financial and sexual scandals that have emerged in the last decade.

Although polls are few and far between, polls show a fairly even split between royalists and republicans in a country where the monarchy was restored by General Franco after decades of harsh dictatorship following a bloody civil war.

By contrast, according to a poll last year in Britain, about 62 percent of people support the preservation of the monarchy – more than double the share of those who want a president instead of a head of state (25 percent).

King Juan CarlosFranco’s anointed successor as head of state won the nation over by introducing democracy and creating the platform for a vibrant modern society, but his ultimate legacy to King Felipe, his son, was one of discredit and corruption.

Juan Carlos, 86 years old, abdicated in 2014 and quietly left the country in 2020 on a private jet.

His fall from hero status to infamy began when he was caught hunting elephants in Botswana with his ex-lover in 2012, followed by revelations that he had kept secret offshore bank accounts to hide multimillion-dollar gifts from Arab monarchs and alleged kickbacks for securing corporate agreements.

When King FelipeThe 56-year-old addressed the nation at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, as streets across Spain echoed to the sound of clattering pots during a WhatsApp-organized protest against the royal family and the extravagance of Juan Carlos.

The royal couple know they will have to fight to improve their standing among Spaniards, and palace sources insisted on Monday they would return to Paiport and other flood-hit areas in the coming days.

They have already shown courage by confronting rockets and insults, arguing with protesters and offering hugs and apologies to victims.

“This is not directed at you,” one man told a tearful Queen Letizia.