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Spain's new king

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Spain's new king

R
Reuters

129 Views • Jun 19, 2014

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ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

STORY: Spain's new king, Felipe VI, was sworn in on Thursday (June 19) in a relatively modest ceremony which monarchists hope will usher in a new era of popularity for the troubled royal household.

He called immediately for Spain to stay united but respect the cultural differences among its regions, ending a speech by saying "thank you" in four languages: Castilian Spanish, Basque, Catalan and Galician.

Felipe became king after his father, Juan Carlos, abdicated earlier this month following a series of scandals that led many Spaniards - especially younger generations - to question the role of the monarchy itself.

One of the biggest challenges for Felipe will be whether he can use his symbolic role to spur dialogue between the leaders of Spain and the wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia, where there is a growing independence movement.

The new king, who is 46, wore military uniform with a sash and swore loyalty to Spain