It's
a rare article on Galicia that doesn't start with the nonsense that
it's essentially a more Celtic place than anywhere else in Spain. It
isn't. It just clings to the 18th century Romantic trappings of Celticism that
serve to justify the typical regional claim that "Spain is
different. But we are differenter". I will happily revise this
heretical view if someone proves to me that the national costumes and
the gaita
(bagpipe) were much in evidence in, say, the 15th century. Happily,
there are the occasional articles which don't mention Celticism and,
hallelujah, here's one from the Wall St Journal. By the way, this is
not to deny for a second that there were Celts in Galicia; just to
reject the claim that Galicia was unique in this respect or more
Celtic than, say, next door Asturias.
The
Royal Family again: A Spanish friend has insisted for months that
the marriage of the Princes, as they're known here, was in deep
trouble and that the lovely Letizia was ploughing/plowing a solitary
furrow in the night clubs of Madrid. I hadn't really believed this
but here's an article which suggests it's true and that the Prince
has gone as far as to initiate divorce proceedings. It's in Spanish
but I've attached a (terrible) Google translation at the end of this
post, tarted up a bit by me.
Maybe
Trevor of Kalebeul can answer this but does Google make more of a
mess with Spanish than with, say, French? If so, two reasons have to
be the frequent absence of personal pronouns in Spanish and the use
of su to mean his, hers or their. Here's one wonderful Google
rendition into English, talking about the Princess - who has spent
a collaborator Mountaineer.
A
few decent YouTube videos:
-
HT to David Jackson: A mad priest amuses his parishioners. Or not.
-
An ad (in Spanish) which mocks foreigner lifestyles and lauds the
Spanish easy-going, fun-oriented alternative.
-
A list of the 22 things Spaniards (and some of us foreigners) would
miss if they went to live elsewhere. I think it's pretty accurate.
Finally
. . . Walking onto the bridge into town yesterday, I met a dusky chap
dressed in a flamboyant outfit of a bright green and yellow, gaudily
patterned short-sleeved shirt with matching knee length shorts. And a
brown trilby hat. OK, it was probably only 12 degrees but it all
seemed doubly inappropriate. And then I saw him again as I was
walking in town (after wasting 15 minutes waiting to be served in the
ironmongers). And then again in the main square as I was enjoying my
midday tiffin. He seemed to be striding around town, regardless of
the stares. One wonders why. Perhaps a visiting theatrical troupe.
Shame my camera is bust.
King
paralyses the divorce of the Prince of Asturias
Although
the battle between Juan Carlos I and his son Philip continues.
The
heir to save his marriage and get access to the Throne.
The
truth is that Letizia Ortiz has changed his attitude from Buenos
Aires showdown with Moncloa.
And
the King makes it clear he does not think to abdicate. When he
recovers, he will return to the foreground.
Let's
start with the latter. HM the King of Spain has paralysed the process
- long and abstruse - for a divorce between Crown Prince Felipe de
Borbon and his wife Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano
We
said yesterday that the King had ordered their legal advisers to
prepare the divorce between HRH Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia
Ortiz Rocasolano. And so it was. And the worst is that this tragedy
would not have become substantial if the King had not been subjected
to a double operation in the Chiron Clinic.
Thereafter
there was a struggle between father and son, which even, the sources
said, His Majesty considered the possibility of a change in
succession. The conflict peaked ' splendidly ' when Don Felipe
attended the IberoAmerica summit without a role, for the King, unable
to travel due to illness, was present via a video in which he made
the Spanish proposals and in which he didn't mention his heir who was
there.
But
Philip has fortunately managed to save his marriage. This has had to
see the change in attitude of Dona Letizia, who has turned from a
wild creature into a collaborator. The turning point was Buenos
Aires, the same day that Madrid lost the organization of the Olympic
Games in 2020, and at the height of her journey through rebellion,
Letizia came to have a fight with President of the Government,
Mariano Rajoy, about when they should return to Spain and about using
the presidential plane to bring back the Prince of Asturias.
From
then, Letizia changed her attitude. Fewer private outings and
institutional collaboration in the role expected of her as future
Queen of Spain. Even joint activities with Her Majesty the Queen and
the Infanta Elena, now in the limelight for having reached 50. SAR
Elena de Borbón is still one of the alternatives for the succession,
in fact, has never ceased to be.
This
change by Letizia, who has returned to smile, still has not got her
integration into her future duties as queen consort to 100%, but it
has served to calm tempers. The future Queen, whom the Spanish
liberals consider their trump card on the throne, even as consort, is
expected to be final.
In
other words, sources confirm to Zarzuela Hispanidad that for the time
being, divorce has stalled, although relations between the King and
his son are not the same as of old.
And
yes, the King thinks not to abdicate. Just thinks to recover from his
hip injury and return to the forefront of public life, to recover his
bad image (the bad image of Dona Letizia has not spread to the whole
of Spain).
Good
news : a marriage is not broken and the country's problems are not
increased by a royal divorce, which is always a failure. But
remember, the King has no intention of abdicating.
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