His Majesty The King's Christmas Message (Spanish : Mensaje de Navidad de S.M. el Rey) is the annual broadcast by the Spanish monarch on Christmas Eve. It has taken place every year since 1975, the first year of Juan Carlos I's reign. The speech is aired on all Spanish TV channels. [1]
The message typically combines a chronicle of that year's major events, with specific focus on politics, economy, culture and social affairs, and also the sovereign's own personal feelings on Christmas. It is usually not broadcast until 21:00 on 24 December.
During his reign, King Juan Carlos I usually covered the main problems of the nation, such as ETA. In 2004, the speech was highly related to the Madrid train bombings earlier that year; in 2006 the King discussed the need to become a united nation against terrorism (in implicit support of Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's anti-terrorist policies) and he mentioned the increasing force of immigrants in Spain and appreciated their contribution to the economy.
Monarch | Date | Theme |
---|---|---|
Juan Carlos I | 24 February 1981 | 1981 Spanish coup d'état attempt |
11 March 2004 | 2004 Madrid train bombings | |
23 March 2014 | Death of Adolfo Suárez | |
2 June 2014 | Abdication of Juan Carlos I | |
Felipe VI | 3 October 2017 | 2017 Catalan independence referendum |
18 March 2020 | COVID-19 pandemic in Spain |