Philipp VI
Philipp VI: King of Spain
Date of Birth: 30.01.1968
Philipp VI (Spanish: Felipe VI de Borbón y Grecia) - King of Spain, who ascended the throne after his father, King Juan Carlos I, abdicated on June 19, 2014. From 1977 to 2014, he was the Prince of Asturias, Girona, Viana, Duke of Montblanc, and Count of Cervera.
Place of Birth. Education. Philipp was born on January 30, 1968, at the Nuestra Señora de Loreto Clinic in Madrid. At that time, his parents already had two daughters: Infanta Elena (born December 20, 1963) and Infanta Cristina (born June 13, 1965). At birth, Philipp received the title of Infante. He was baptized in the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. His godparents were his grandfather, the Count of Barcelona, Juan de Borbón, and his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria Eugenia.
Infant Philipp graduated in 1984 from the Santa María de los Rosales Secondary School in Madrid. He then spent a year in Canada at Lakefield College School.
From September 1985 to July 1988, he studied at the Military Academy in Zaragoza, at the Navy School, and at the Air Force Academy in San Javier.
From October 1988 to June 1993, he studied Law and Economics at the Autonomous University of Madrid.
In May 1995, he obtained a Master's degree in International Relations from Georgetown University (USA).
Military Service. He reached the rank of Colonel (Army and Air Force), Captain at Sea (Navy). He is a qualified helicopter pilot for the Army, Air Force, and Navy. He served in the 402nd Squadron of the Spanish Air Force. Before his accession as king, he was a Major General of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Ascending the Throne. On June 2, 2014, Juan Carlos announced that he would abdicate in favor of Philipp. Since the Spanish Constitution does not provide a specific mechanism for abdication and succession, on June 3, the Spanish Cabinet began discussing an organic law to regulate the transfer of power to Philipp. The law had to be approved by the majority of votes from all members of the lower house of Parliament.
Philipp ascended the throne as the new King of Spain under the name Philipp VI at midnight on June 19, shortly after his father had officially abdicated in favor of his son. The next morning, having received the status of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces from his father, he was officially sworn in and proclaimed king at a session of the Cortes. Before being officially proclaimed king, he swore to uphold the Constitution. He became the youngest monarch in Europe, nine months younger than King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
Powers. As king, Philipp VI has extensive powers on paper. He is the guardian of the Constitution and is responsible for its enforcement. He is the nominal head of the executive, but it is expected that he will, like his father, mainly perform a ceremonial and representative role, acting mainly on the recommendation of the government.
In February 2015, Philipp VI announced a 20% reduction in his annual salary due to the economic downturn in Spain.
After the 2015 elections, the ruling party received enough seats to form a government. No agreements with other parties were successful. After several months of negotiations with many party leaders, a royal decree was issued to dissolve Parliament and call for new elections in June 2016. This occurred for the first time since the introduction of democracy in 1975. According to the Spanish Constitution, the initiative to dissolve the Cortes lies with the king and not the prime minister. On the night of May 3, 2016, for the first time since the fall of the Franco regime, Philipp VI exercised his right to dissolve Parliament.
Olympic Games. He was a member of the Spanish sailing team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He participated in the opening ceremony as the flag bearer of the Olympic team. In the competition for three-person boats, he finished in sixth place and received an Olympic diploma.
Family. Philipp VI's wife, Queen Letizia, born Ortiz Rocasolano. On November 1, 2003, the royal court unexpectedly announced the engagement of Prince of Asturias Philipp to journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano. The wedding took place on May 22, 2004, at the Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena in Madrid. It was the first royal wedding in this cathedral. The ceremony was broadcast by television channels in many countries and was watched by about 1.5 billion people worldwide.
On October 31, 2005, a daughter was born to the Princess and Prince of Asturias at the Ruber Clinic in Madrid - Her Royal Highness Infanta Leonor. Leonor's baptism took place on January 14, 2006. Her godparents were King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofía of Spain.
On September 25, 2006, in the Spanish royal house