Spain’s King Juan Carlos Abdicates to Make Way for Youth
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King Juan Carlos, who early in his reign faced down a military coup that threatened Spain’s return to democracy before seeing his family dragged into a corruption scandal last year, said he will abdicate the throne in favor of his son.
“A new generation deserves to come to the front line,” the 76-year-old king said today in a televised statement from his palace near Madrid. “My son Felipe, the heir to the crown, embodies the stability which is the monarchy’s identity.”