The Royalist - Royal Family "Very Surprised" At Publication of Private Letters

Royal Family "Very Surprised" At Publication of Private Letters

Written by Joanne Leyland

Friday, 04 April 2008

The Spanish Royal Family have discovered that, like Prince Charles and his ‘Hong Kong Journals’, there’s no such thing as ‘private’ when it comes to correspondence.

While most biographies of the royals incorporate the same old photographs, a new publication has elicited great interest across the nation with the inclusion of a collection of private letters between King Juan Carlos and his son and heir.

The correspondence dates from the 1980s, when Prince Felipe was studying in Canada, and offer an insight into the father-son relationship.

One piece of correspondence sees the King offering Felipe some fatherly advice, writing: "You must be seen to be spirited, even if you're tired; you must be kind, even if you don't feel like it; attentive, even if you're not interested; obliging, even if it's hard for you."

Responding to the publication, a spokesman for the House of Bourbon acknowledges that the letters are genuine.

However, the Palace says that journalist José García Abad published the private correspondence without receiving the prior consent of the King or the prince and that the Royal Family were "very surprised" to discover the letters have been printed in a book.