This is not overtly political I hope as I have every respect for the Royal Family in Spain , as well as my own in the UK despite some of their very outdated views .
One of the UK national newspapers reported this : PRINCE SHOOTS HIMSELF IN THE FOOT : Spain´s Royal Family found itself embroiled in a row over the use of firearms by minors yesterday after King Juan Carlos' 13 year old grandson accidentally shot himself in the foot with a small-bore rifle . Felipe Juan Froilan , 5th in line , suffered a 'minor accident ' when the gun misfired .
Froilan lived just a street away from me in Madrid when his mother , the Infanta Elena , parted from her husband . Froilan´s a good looking kid , and has a sister ( Victoria ) , but he always looks so serious in photos .I used to feel sorry for him . I saw his father , Don Jaime de Marichalar , several times in the Goya barrio of Madrid .

If you go to San Lorenzo del Escorial you can see the coffins of the kings and queens and nobility of Spain .. It's well worth a visit and the town is really nice .. great restaurants . However , down in the crypt is the tomb of King Juan Carlos' brother who was killed by Juan Carlos by accident whilst out shooting . It shocked me to learn of this as it's never mentioned generally .

yes its well known to those, but the need to remind one of this terrible accident is not needed. Its the media kicking the Royal family lately....not known that what they have is thanks to king Juan Carlos I Bourbon, fifth in line to the Throne of France, (first in line is Alfonso Duke of Cadiz as Louis XX).lol!!

Do you know K Juan Carlos is a cousin of Queen E II and do take the boats many times out in the mediterranean together. HE is also, great great, ....grandson of queen Victoria of England, nephew of emperor Frederick II of Germany ,and still legally married to queen Sofia, daughter of last king of Greece Constantine II and niece of last king of Italy Umberto II

There goes my Royal news of the day ::)

Spain should learn to say thank you to him 60 million times.

I know , Pedmar , that the Royal families are very good friends . Princes William and Harry and Princess Diana spent many holidays at the invitation of Juan Carlos and Doña Sofia and El Príncipe Felipe is good friends with William . I watched , last night , the film ' Elizabeth ' with Cate Blanchett where you can see the huge wars between England , Scotland , France and Spain .. Everybody was trying to marry a prince , queen , king , princess from other countries to save their reign ! It's a great film , by the way ! I loved the French Duke ( of Anjou - great rosé wine ! ) who dressed , as a fetish , in women´s clothes and the arrogant Spanish who wanted to convert Elizabeth and England to Catholicism !

thats why they call it blue blood ::) differences happenned in the best of families ::)

more than friends by blue blood hehehehe

did not see the movie because usually that is only one interpretation of history. I have the books on dynasties and now the internet is a wealth of information.

I am working on a project mecenat or getting funds to rebuilt the palais des tuileries here, and met Princess Napoleon, the one and only.Interesting these royals huh!
http://www.tuileries.org/
i am the treasurer until left for Brittany but still actively involved

Just yesterday the King of Spain had an operation to repair a broken hip he suffered slipping on stairs while in Botswana, vacationing there for an elephant hunt - operated by a Texan. The King apparently "downed" at least one before he went "down" himself. And, yes, the King had an elephant-hunting permit.

Spain King Hurt in Botswana Elephant Hunting Trip
Surprising quote from this article:


ABC Article about the Royal Family's hunting history

Photo: BLANCA TORQUEMADA

El País article about the King's hip operation

Photo: GORKA LEJARCEGI

Publico article & video about elephant hunt in Botswana in which the King was hunting

hehehe of course all royals hunt if they are men, practice to kill. The State is me king louis....But heck a lot better than a lot of dictators nowdays lol!!

In the words of the King of Spain 2 days ago upon walking out of the hospitable where he underwent hip surgery, "Lo siento mucho, me he equivocado y no volverá a ocurrir", or "I'm very sorry, I made a mistake and it won't happen again." Although interestingly enough - to me, he doesn't state - in his statement - WHY he's very sorry or about what he made a mistake. The sound-bite found 100 years from now will leave researchers scratching their heads about what he was referring.

Frankly, I don't mind that the King of Spain was on a hunting trip (me, coming from a family of hunters, fishermen, and outdoors-men), but to hunt an elephant? These days? That's almost like hunting whales! But I understand that elephants are not endangered in Botswana, having one of the highest humans-to-elephant ratio in Africa at 14-to-1.

The fall-out in Spain continues for this hunting-trip-gone-wrong, but his public, and seemingly profoundly sincere, apology has appeased many.

Saludos, MadridMan

yes indeed hunting elephants is nothing there. but the Spanish media if not careful can throw anything into hellfire.