He was the then president of the Congress of Deputies, Gregorio Peces-Barba, who in 1986 established the protocol for the then Prince of Asturias and today King Felipe VI to swear in the Constitution. Fish-Beard, one of the fathers of the Magna Carta, He arranged a secular ceremony, without a cross and without a Bible., symbols still omnipresent at that time, and with only a copy of the Constitution. It may seem natural now, but then it was almost revolutionary. Both the setting, in the Carrera de San Jerónimo palace before the representatives of popular sovereignty and the high magistracies of the State, without a hint of religious symbols, as well as the brief speech with which 38 years ago his father and this Tuesday the heiress of the Crown swore to “guard and ensure the preservation of the Constitution and the laws, respect the rights of citizens and the autonomous communities” represent the most democratic act, modern and one could say that, therefore, republican, of the Monarchy. In fact, Spanish heirs are an exception in European monarchies when expressly commit before Parliament to respect popular sovereignty that it is within him to comply with the Constitution.
However, this democratic ritual does not alone grant the King and his heir the affection of the citizens. It is more than known that the monarchical institution is not in very good health in our country, although during the reign of Philip VI The popularity that the Crown lost due to the scandals carried out by his father has been partially recovered, Juan Carlos I, now resident outside of Spain by decision of the current Monarch. It is also true that this recognition of the figure of the acting king is not the same throughout the State. In Catalonia, for example, his speech on October 3, 2017 upset the pro-independence supporters but also many people who, even though they were against the ‘procés’, would have appreciated a greater show of sensitivity to the problems underlying the Catalan conflict. It is not enough just to remember that one of the duties of the King is to try to maintain the integrity of the territory; the closeness with its citizenseven with the disaffected, would help him earn their respect and that of society as a whole.
Achieving the support of the citizens is one of the tasks on which the King and his heir will have to insist, because the consideration that they are able to achieve also depends to a large extent. the stability, credibility and respectability of all democratic institutions of the State, not just those of the Crown. For this you cannot forget respect the rights of citizens and those of the autonomous communities, as they have sworn to do, and observe “behavior that deserves the recognition and appreciation of citizens,” as Leonor promised in her speech. Compliance with this commitment will help the heiress to gain the appreciation of society as a whole and that of the young people of her generation in particular, whether she is queen later or not, because that will be decided by the whole of Spaniards and the future of the society. history.