Royals in trouble

For the Spanish royal family it has certainly been an Annus horribilis for the last three years. First the King´s brother-in-law Iñaki Urgandarin was sent to jail for fraud and corruption, Queen Sofia was involved in a very public spat with her daughter-in-law, Queen Letizia, at Palma Cathedral and now it has been revealed that King Juan Carlos has an offshore bank account with a balance of more than 60 million dollars. This money allegedly came in the former of a back-hander in return for his helping secure a massive rail contract in Saudi Arabia.

This is a scandal which is not going to go away, with the Spanish authorities promising to investigate the case. The story broke at a time when Spain is in lockdown with many Spaniards worried about their jobs and future. The Spanish royal family appears to be in trouble at a very difficult time.

The British royal family has its own very well publicised problems. The split from the royal family by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the alleged sex scandal involving Prince Andrew has given the British royals some very bad press. Some members of the Labour Party have claimed that the royal family will no longer exist in its present form in 50 years time. At a time when people are worried about the future perhaps the royal families in both countries could do more.

A nightly address to the nation from both monarchs could be useful, otherwise the republic cause will say that they are becoming increasingly irrelevant.