Spain’s King Juan Carlos will abdicate so his son Felipe can become the country’s next monarch, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told the country on Monday in an announcement broadcast nationwide.
Mr. Rajoy did not say when the handover would happen because the government must now craft a law creating a legal mechanism for the abdication and for 46-year-old Crown Prince Felipe’s assumption of power.
King Carlos, 76, has been on the throne since 1975 and was a hero to many for shepherding Spain’s democratic and economic transformation, but has had repeated health problems in recent years.
Felipe would presumably take the title Felipe IV. He has a law degree from Madrid’s Autonomous University and obtained a masters in international relations from Georgetown University in the United States.
Felipe is married to Princess Letizia and they have two daughters.
