Prince Philip of Borbon: Next to the Succession of the Spanish Crown
Considered by King Juan Carlos as the “best prepared heir to the Spanish crown in history”, Prince Philip of Borbon yesterday turned 45 years old without major entertainments, facing the lowest point of the Spanish monarchy, as well as one of the strongest economic crises of this Nation.
Philip, who seeks to seduce the Spanish citizens and regain the sovereignty of the crown once assuming as king, is making every effort to attract the public with an example of a role model family. His desire is to adapt and correct the institution to the times we are currently living, promoting a project that connects the tradition to a spirit and progress.
That’s why in 2012, Philip attended 253 events in Spain and abroad, being the member of the Spanish royal family with more official activities, giving proof of its Latin American vocation which complements the commitment of King Juan Carlos with this community of nations, without benefit yet of the legitimacy of his father in a country where many say they are more “juancarlistas” that monarchists.
On one hand, King Juan Carlos praised his son as a man “of great intellectuals, honest, prepared and hard working”, however, the current king, 75, has no plans to abdicate the throne and claims to have “energy “and “illusion” to continue to address the challenges the country is facing..
In recent times, the image of the King has been overshadowed by several scandals. The case of alleged corruption involving his son-in-law, Inaki Urdangarin and a former partner Diego Torres, who are under investigation for corruption and illicit enrichment, shook the Spanish monarchy.
Added to this the scandal caused by the elephant hunt, where the king had to apologize to the Nation for go hunting in Botswana while the Spanish people are living in times of austerity.
Since then, the support for the monarchy fell to a record of 54%, according to a survey released in January by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. The King actually appears as the most unpopular member of the royal family in a recent poll by Sigma Dos for El Mundo.
Some facts you should know about Philip of Borbon:
Philip is the heir to the Spanish Crown. He studied at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, where he graduated in law in 1993. He also studied in Canada and Georgetown University in Washington. Conducted military studies at the Military Academy of Zaragoza, the Naval Academy Marin, and San Javier Air Academy, is a helicopter pilot and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army and Air and Commander in the Navy. He married Letizia Ortiz, a former television journalist and has two daughters, Leonor and Sofia, ensuring dynastic succession.