No banquet or champagne for frugal Spanish king

Crown Prince Felipe ascends to the Spanish throne today, but there won’t be any ritzy official celebrations.

The economic crisis that has left a quarter of Spaniards out of work has prompted Europe’s newest king to be relatively frugal at his proclamation.

The crown prince’s father, 76-year-old Juan Carlos, misjudged public anger at financial hardship when he went on an elephant-hunting safari in Africa. Felipe, 46, appears keen to show he’s more in tune with his countrymen — and avoid the mistakes of his abdicating predecessor.

The landmark occasion is perhaps most notable for what it won’t include: no state banquet, no foreign royals or heads of state, no ostentatious ceremonies.

By royal standards, it’s humble: reception guests will be served hot and cold tapas-style nibbles, which they will eat while standing.

There will be no champagne, just sparkling cava wine from Spain’s Catalonia region.

“More than anything this is a message. What they want to say is: ‘We’re in a moment when sobriety in spending shows a certain sense of solidarity in a time of economic difficulty,’” Navarra University history professor Pablo Perez Lopez said.

Juan Carlos was due to sign legislation setting out the legal framework for the handover last evening and the measure was to come into force at midnight.

Felipe is to be formally proclaimed monarch and swear an oath at a ceremony with lawmakers in Parliament later today. It will be a no-frills event, though the 18th-century Spanish crown and 17th-century sceptre will be on display.

After a brief military parade, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will take a drive through expected crowds along some of Madrid’s most emblematic streets and monuments — such as the Prado Museum and the Cibeles fountain.

The palace acknowledged that the customary pomp had been eliminated “in keeping with the criteria of austerity that the times recommend”.