King Felipe, who delivered his Christmas message on Tuesday evening. | Casa Real

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In his Christmas Eve message, King Felipe stressed that Spain has achieved what it has thanks to a Constitution and values that it contains which "embody coexistence". Within these values, the King highlighted a desire for harmony which, "thanks to responsibility, generosity, dialogue and respect between people of different ideologies, has broken down walls of intolerance, resentment and misunderstanding, that have marked so many episodes in our history".

At the heart of the King's message was the situation regarding Catalonia. He recognised that there is great concern about this and encouraged unity, understanding and resolution of differences in accordance with the Constitution.

The King spoke about the recognition of "territorial diversity" in the Constitution and the unity that stems from this, which "gives us strength". He emphasised values of equality and freedom, of tolerance and respect, which have existed "for many years and are a hallmark of present-day Spain". But the King added that "we cannot take these for granted or ignore their fragility". For this reason, "we must do everything possible to strengthen them".