Felipe VI

A king in adversity.

Felipe VI’s accession to head of state in 2014 was traumatic after the forced abdication of his father. The years since then have been characterized by convulsion, both in the monarch’s family and in Spain’s political and institutional spheres. With the new king, the country entered a complete paradigm shift. Almost everything must be imagined about Felipe VI. This book unveils the unpublished person in the midst of his vital and political circumstances.

It is a fast-paced essay that brings together the author’s experience over a lifetime of professional practice. José Antonio Zarzalejos, a discreet giant of journalism, has relied on the proximity of sources of the utmost trustworthiness to write a historical and political account of great depth and which focuses a strong beam of light on the figure and the adversities of the king of Spain. 

Why did Don Juan Carlos continue to reside at the Zarzuela after his abdication? Did a simultaneous reign of father and son take place between 2014 and 2019? What was Juan Carlos’ expatriation like? Why did he go to Abu Dhabi? Did the government force him or did his son advise him to leave Spain? What happened between Felipe VI and Mariano Rajoy that notorious October 3, 2017, after the events in Catalonia? What is his real relationship with Pedro Sánchez? Who defends the institution of the Crown and the king? Will Princess Leonor one day reign?

The author does not avoid any of the conflicts and contradictions of Felipe VI in a historical account that is as gripping as it is rigorous.