Overview
- In a tightly focused nine‑minute message, the King urged Spaniards to safeguard convivencia democrática through dialogue, respectful language, listening to others, exemplary conduct by public authorities, empathy and attention to the most vulnerable.
- He warned of an “inquietante crisis de confianza” affecting democracies, saying distrust feeds extremism, radicalism and populism and fuels public fatigue, disenchantment and institutional disaffection.
- Felipe VI asked citizens to reflect on the red lines they should never cross, stressing that solutions require shared responsibility and that personal ideas cannot be treated as dogmas nor others’ proposals as threats.
- The address invoked the 50th anniversary of Spain’s Transition and the 40th of EU accession to frame a call for common purpose, European commitment and perseverance in facing challenges such as living costs, housing, technological disruption and climate impacts.
- The speech, delivered standing in the Salón de Columnas and broadcast simultaneously on major TV and the Royal Household’s digital channels at 21:00, made no mention of Juan Carlos I despite recent memoir and video coverage, a choice widely read as an institutional message to a polarized political class.