The traditional Christmas Eve speech of King Felipe VI

Felipe VI today delivers his traditional Christmas Eve message, his eighth Christmas speech, where he balance the year and say his wishes for the following year. Like last year, it has as a context the Covid-19 situation and the King Juan Carlos I situation, on his second Christmas outside of Spain.

The Christmas message (9:00 p.m.) is the most symbolic and it is expected that he will focus a big part of his speech on talking about the pandemic, as he already did in 2020, and on sending a encouragement and hope message to break it down and consolidate the recovery phase started with vaccination and European funds.

It is also foreseeable that there will be a reference to the Covid-19 victims and to recognize the role of different groups, mainly the health sector.

Regardless of the health context, he will talk about the volcano in La Palma. He is expected and to reaffirm his solidarity and support to the inhabitants of the island for the damage suffered.

The message is broadcast by most of the main television channels, with the exception of the Basque regional channel ETB, which has never programmed Felipe VI’s Christmas speech. In the case of TV3, it will rebroadcast it on its information channel 3/24.

The King’s House also distributes it through their Twitter account and their YouTube channel, where, as in previous years, it will broadcast a video summary at 8:00 p.m. offering the kings’ activities of the year, the princess Leonor and the infanta Sofia.

The king offers today his Christmas Eve message with the pandemic and Juan Carlos I in the background. Photo: EFE

The situation of Juan Carlos I

The other big issue surrounding the televised speech is the situation of Juan Carlos I, who will once again spend Christmas in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) awaiting if he returns to Spain in case the Supreme Court Prosecutor’s Office archive any investigations he still have on his overseas funds.

Last year, Felipe VI made no direct mention of his father and limited himself to assuring that “the moral and ethical principles” that citizens demand “oblige everyone without exceptions” and are “above any consideration, of nature. Whatever, even personal or family issues.