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Spain in transition: Exit old kings, enter a new king

This article is more than 12 months old

Distraught and delighted. 

Spaniards have every reason to feel such extreme emotions.

In Brazil, the reigning kings of World Cup soccer were dumped out in the first round after losing both games.

But back home in Madrid, the mood was one of jubilation. 

There were festivities all around as Spain’s King Felipe VI was sworn in on Thursday, AFP reported.

 Princess Sofia and Princess Leonor (right) leave after the swearing-in ceremony of their father in Madrid on Thursday.

He took over the throne after his father Juan Carlos, 76, abdicated.

Thousands of Spaniards put aside their World Cup misery to line the sun-splashed streets, yelling “Long live the king!”.

King Felipe, 46, and his glamorous Queen Letizia, 41, waved from an open-topped, black Rolls Royce as they drove through the streets of Madrid.

A tall, former Olympic yachtsman, he faces the task of polishing the image of a monarchy tarnished by scandals.

He also has to win over a country wearied by recession and political corruption.

Said Mr Eduardo Chaperon, a 24-year-old economist waving a Spanish flag:  “We have lost the World Cup but that doesn’t matter. It is a new day and a new  king. We have to celebrate.”

A Spain fan reacts after the match between Spain and Chile in the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday.

Said Vicente del Bosque, manager of the national football team: “We have players and a federation who are very consolidated — we are not falling apart.

"We will take the time to do what is best for Spanish football — and I include myself there.”

A Chilean fan celebrate after the victory against Spain on Wednesday

As reigns end, new ones begin.

Source: AFP

 

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