King Juan Carlos of Spain plans to abdicate, as announced by Prime Minister Rajoy.
Crown Prince Felipe, 45, will become the next king.
King Juan Carlos, now 76, has played a pivotal role in developing modern Spain. In a surprise move, General Francisco Franco named Juan Carlos as the person to inherit Franco’s role after his death.
He came into power in 1975 and staved off an attempted coup by the military in 1981 by directly confronting the armed officers while a number of parliamentarians cowered in their seats.
He has always been held in high regard at home and abroad, but recent times have seen a number of scandals rocking the throne, including an on-going investigation into the financial affairs of his youngest daughter and her husband.
Several years ago, when as honorary president of the Worldwide Wild Fund, Juan Carlos went on an expensive elephant hunt in Botswana. The country may not have known about this but for an accident in which the King fractured his hip.
Happening in the beginning of the implementation of harsh austerity measures, many were disappointed in the lavish expenditure. The king stepped down from WWF.
It would, however, be a pity if these problems at the end of his reign were to overshadow the enormous contributions he has made on shaping the face of democracy in contemporary Spain after decades of harsh, brutal dictatorship.
The reason for his abdication has not been announced, but it is known that the king has not been in good health.
