SPAIN:King Juan Carlos has been forced to defend himself and his family, writes Jane Walkerin Madrid
King Juan Carlos was educated and groomed for the throne by General Franco and most people believed he would follow his teachings and probably only enjoy a short reign. But when the old dictator died in 1975, the man dubbed by some as "Juanito the Brief" lost little time in guiding the country from dictatorship to democracy.
Under the 1978 constitution Juan Carlos (69) renounced all personal power in favour of a democratic monarchy and he rarely, if ever, makes a political comment. But this week he was forced into speaking out publicly to defend himself and his family after a wave of anti-monarchy protests which have squeezed him in a pincer movement from critics on the far right and the far left.
"The parliamentary monarchy given to us by our constitution has given us the longest period of democratic stability and prosperity ever enjoyed in Spanish history. It has brought us democratic harmony, understanding, mutual respect, tolerance and liberty," he said in Oviedo this week.
For the past 30 years he could do no wrong - or if he did the Spanish media kept quiet, respecting an unwritten rule never to criticise the monarchy or the royal family and their behaviour, or even their dress sense.
Ironically, those same newspapers and magazines delighted in poking fun at other European royals, their scandals and their wardrobes.
But one can't silence rumours, and there has been gossip recently that the king's financial dealings were not always squeaky clean. He receives €8.6 million a year tax free for himself and his family, but unlike other European monarchs, does not have to justify his expenses.
Probably to silence these rumours, an official auditor was appointed last month.
Signs of changes in the wind emerged early this summer when a popular satirical magazine published a cartoon showing the crown prince Felipe and his wife making love.
The magazine was confiscated and its editor and the artist charged with insulting the king - still an offence in Spain, punishable by up to two years in jail.
Most of the left wing anti-monarchist criticism has come from the regions where separatist movements are strongest.
Last month, nine young Catalan students were arrested for burning photographs of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia during a visit to Girona.
Probably if the demonstration had been played down as mere youthful protest it would have sunk without trace. But detaining the students has turned them into martyrs to the nationalist cause and dozens more demonstrators have burned royal photographs, even an effigy of the king, and waved the red, yellow and purple republican flag.
At the end of last month the town of Humilladero, near Malaga, voted in favour of a republic and flew the republican flag from the town hall.
Many Spaniards admit to being republicans at heart, but monarchists - or more precisely "Juancarlistas" - in their heads. Prime minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose republican grandfather was shot by Franco forces, is probably one of them. But he paid his own tribute to the king this week for "the 30 years of stability he has given the country", adding that he hoped "he will give us another 30 years". But criticism has not only come from the nationalists and the far left.
It has also come the far right, who have become ever more outspoken. The conservative radio station COPE, owned by the bishops' conference, has become a leading right-wing mouthpiece, even broadcasting calls for the king to abdicate.
Next week Spain will celebrate its national day with a large military parade through the centre of Madrid. It is a state occasion, presided over by King Juan Carlos, the royal family, government and official bodies. There are fears that members of dissident movements, who are beginning to flex their muscles, could try to disrupt this formal state occasion.