Spain’s new king promises‘renewed royalty’

Taking the Spanish throne, King Felipe VI sought to inspire his beleaguered countrymen amid troubled economic times and lift patriotic spirits a day after the national team’s humbling exit from the World Cup.

“We are a great nation. Let us believe and trust in ourselves,” Felipe said at his swearing-in ceremony.

Felipe, 46, became monarch after his father Juan Carlos announced his surprise decision to abdicate. The 76-year-old said he was stepping aside after a four-decade reign so younger royal blood could energise the country.