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Article: THRIVING AS KING, DEMOCRAT JUAN CARLOS STILL RULES MOST HEARTS IN SPAIN
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- November 23, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2000 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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MADRID - King Juan Carlos of Spain is the most improbable of
monarchs. He was born in exile to a discredited royal family. His
mentor was a fascist dictator. And he gave away nearly all his power.
But yesterday, the 62-year-old Juan Carlos celebrated his 25th
anniversary as king, safe in the knowledge that he is Europe's most
popular monarch.
Many polls put his popularity rating above 80 percent, this among
a people that is not very monarchist by European standards. But Juan
Carlos is unique among European royals, not least because of his rise
to power as the handpicked successor to Francisco Franco, the
dictator who ruled Spain for 36 years.