Spanish king to abdicate

Spain’s King Juan Carlos plans to abdicate and pave the way for his son, Crown Prince Felipe, to become the country’s next king, the nation’s prime minister Mariano Rajoy said today.

Juan Carlos, 76, oversaw his country’s transition from dictatorship to democracy but has had repeated health problems in recent years.

His popularity also dipped following royal scandals, including an elephant-shooting trip he took in the middle of Spain’s financial crisis that tarnished his image.

Moment when King Juan Carlos abdicated - photo shows him with Spain's PM http://t.co/SQEdaeLcWc & pic.twitter.com/rEU10f8WWu

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) June 2, 2014

The king came to power in 1975, two days after the death of long-time dictator Francisco Franco.

He is the second European monarch to abdicate in just over a year. In April last year, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands handed the throne to her son Prince Willem-Alexander after 33 years.

Mr Rajoy broke the news in an announcement broadcast nationwide.

He did not say when Juan Carlos would abdicate because the government must now craft a law creating a legal mechanism for the abdication and for 46-year-old Felipe’s assumption of power.

The king endeared himself to many Spaniards by putting down an attempted military coup in 1981 when he was a young and largely untested head of state.

As Spain’s new democracy matured over the years, the king played a largely figurehead role, travelling the globe as an ambassador for the country, and was a stabilising force in a country with restive, independence-minded regions such as the Basque region and Catalonia.

But his image was tarnished by the elephant shoot and also by the investigation of his son-in law, who is suspected of embezzling large amounts in public contracts.