Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente has sparked controversy by launching an unprecedented attack on King Felipe VI after the monarch greeted a journalist in Colombia.
Puente claimed that King Felipe made a mistake by acknowledging the reporter during the presidential inauguration in Bogota, describing the interaction as outrageous and stating that the monarch had crossed a red line.
The transport minister, who is one of the most active cabinet members on social media, added that he hoped such a situation would not happen again. Puente also shared messages supporting a Third Spanish Republic online while publicly boasting of his republican soul.
Criticism of royal greeting
The controversy followed an official trip to Colombia where King Felipe attended the inauguration of the country's new president. While attending the ceremony outside Spain, the monarch was approached by a journalist who is known to be out of favor with Puente.
Political commentators noted that while a government minister is free to dislike specific journalists, a monarch cannot be expected to refuse a standard greeting to individuals who approach him at official international functions. The attack on a sitting monarch for fulfilling constitutional duties and basic social etiquette has been condemned as extraordinary for a government minister.
Writing in an analysis for World Stock Market, commentator Jose Maria Rotellar described the incident as an unprecedented assault on an exemplary king who serves all Spaniards equally. Rotellar pointed out that King Felipe acts as monarch for all citizens at once, referencing the principle established by former King Juan Carlos I during his proclamation speech.
Broader political polarization
The controversy comes amid warnings from opposition leaders that the ruling coalition is seeking to deepen political divisions across Spain. Popular Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo warned that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is directing a deliberate strategy to turn future general elections into a referendum on the monarchical state itself.
Spain operates as a constitutional monarchy under its 1978 Constitution, which established parliamentary democracy following the end of Francisco Franco's dictatorship. King Felipe VI ascended the throne in 2014 after the abdication of his father, Juan Carlos I, who played a central role in guiding the country during the post-Franco democratic transition.
Calls to defend the Crown
Rotellar warned that the minister's public statements represent a wider attempt by the government to undermine national stability and democratic consensus. He urged all citizens, regardless of their monarchist views, to defend the Crown and protect the democratic freedoms established during Spain's democratic transition.
