Royal Household of Spain
Encyclopedia
The Royal Household of Spain, officially the La Casa de Su Majestad el Rey (The Household of His Majesty the King), is the constitutional organization which supports the monarch in the exercise of his royal duties and prerogatives
. The Royal Household does not form part of the Spanish Government
, and remains exclusively under the direction of the monarch. However, the Royal Household coordinates with the Spanish Government and the Patrimonio Nacional
in the planning of official state occasions and ceremonies. The Royal Household is funded through yearly state budgets and subject to the approval of the Cortes Generales
. It has its historical precedent in the Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain
. Nevertheless, when King Juan Carlos I acceded to the Throne in 1975, he decided to create a Household completely different from the former Court of his grandfather Alfonso XIII. The modern Royal Household is much simpler than the precedent institution and it was decided not to recreate the majority of Offices which existed in the old Royal Household maintaining basically the Head of the Royal Household and the Secretary General of the Royal Household, both Offices hold by profesional and prestigious civil servants, even if they come from the nobility.
The annual budget pays the remunerations for senior management staff, management staff and career civil servants, other minor staffing positions, and for general office expenses. The Head of Household, Secretary General, and other management staff salaries must be comparable to other administration ministers within the government, though in no way do they form part of the government or administration. As such, the management staff experience increases, decreases, or freezes to their pay in accordance with the fluctuations of government minister salaries.
Additionally, the annual budget pays for the maintenance and expenses of senior members of the royal family who undertake royal duties; which includes grocery, clothing, and toiletries allotments.
The budget approved by the Cortes for 2009 was just under 9 million euros. Not included in the annual budget is the maintenance and upkeep of royal residences, which is owned by the state and held in the national trust, and administered by Patrimonio Nacional
on behalf of the government. Maintenance and upkeep includes groundskeeping
, domestic staffing
and catering and is paid by Patrimonio Nacional
. This amount doesn't include King's yacht Fortuna (maintained by Patrimonio Nacional
) nor other expenses such as transportation which are paid by the army
. The Royal Household's budget has been criticized and accused of opacity, because the actual total budget and the real expenses of the King and the Royal Family are not made public.
All the King's expenses when travelling abroad on an official mission are paid with the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
, with managerial rank, is assigned to the Head of H.M. The King's Household.
The Heads of the Household have sucesively been:
The Planning & Co-ordination Cabinet is the support unit for both the Head of the Household and the Secretary General, with assistance and immediate collaboration tasks in the fulfilment of the duties assigned to them. The Bureau and Activities and Programmes form part of this Cabinet.
The Office of H.M. The Queen's Secretary carries out the study, preparation and implementation of all matters related to H.M. The Queen's activities, as well as those of Their Royal Highnesses The Infantas.
The Office of H.R.H. The Prince of Asturias' Secretary carries out the study, preparation and implementation of all matters related to the activities of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and The Princess of the Asturias.
The Security Service is responsible for the Royal Family’s immediate security. It has a Commander and is composed of members of the State Security Forces, assigned by the Ministry of the Interior.
Relations with the Media maintains contact with professionals from the media
, informing them of the official activities of the Royal Family, as well as their contents and organisation.
Protocol prepares and manages all aspects pertaining to protocol of the Royal Family’s different activities, both in Spain and abroad.
Administration, Infrastructure and Services manages the financial and budgetary side, as well as matters pertaining to the Household's staff. It manages and organises telecommunication and information services. It co-ordinates general maintenance of the installations of La Zarzuela Palace. The Quartermaster's Office and the Communications and Information Centre form part of this unit.
The General Secretariat's staff aggregates 137 civil servants, apart from those assigned to the Security Service by the Ministry of the Interior.
The Secretaries General have sucesively been:
The Military Chamber prepares the military activities of the Royal Family's members and maintains the relations of a military nature with the authorities of the Ministry of Defence.
The Lieutenant-General or General on active duty is the Commander of the Military Chamber in comamnd of the Royal Guard
. The Commander of the Military Chamber counts, for immediate support and collaboration, on a Cabinet , on an advisor belonging to the Military Legal Corps and on a Military Auditor. The Cabinet is divided into four Sections covering staff, protocol, operations and logistics, respectively.
The Aides-de-Champ to His Majesty The King, organised in successive 24-hour duty periods, assist His Majesty, in a permanent fashion and when carrying out his official duties, as well as H.M. The Queen and Their Royal Highnesses The Infantas Doña Elena and Doña Cristina. They also form part of the Retinue of Honour of foreign Heads of State on official visit to Spain. Four belong to the Army
, two to the Navy
, two to the Air Force
and one to the Civil Guard
.
The Aides-de-Champ to His Royal Highness The Prince of Asturias assists His Royal Highness Prince of Asturias, in a permanent fashion and when carrying out his official activities, as well as Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias. One belongs to the Army, another one to the Navy and the last one to the Air Force.
Royal Prerogative
The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy as belonging to the sovereign alone. It is the means by which some of the executive powers of government, possessed by and...
. The Royal Household does not form part of the Spanish Government
Spanish Government
Spain is a constitutional monarchy whose government is defined by the Constitution of Spain. This was approved by a general referendum of the people of Spain in 1978...
, and remains exclusively under the direction of the monarch. However, the Royal Household coordinates with the Spanish Government and the Patrimonio Nacional
Patrimonio Nacional
The Consejo de Administración del Patrimonio Nacional is a Spanish state agency, under the jurisdiction of the Minister of the Presidency by delegation of the Prime Minister of Spain, that administers the sites owned by the Spanish...
in the planning of official state occasions and ceremonies. The Royal Household is funded through yearly state budgets and subject to the approval of the Cortes Generales
Cortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
. It has its historical precedent in the Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain
Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain
The Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain was the institution that governed the organization of the Royal Spanish Court from the time of the Habsburg dinasty, which introduced the so called Burgundian etiquette, up to to the reign of Alfonso XIII, grandfather of the current King of...
. Nevertheless, when King Juan Carlos I acceded to the Throne in 1975, he decided to create a Household completely different from the former Court of his grandfather Alfonso XIII. The modern Royal Household is much simpler than the precedent institution and it was decided not to recreate the majority of Offices which existed in the old Royal Household maintaining basically the Head of the Royal Household and the Secretary General of the Royal Household, both Offices hold by profesional and prestigious civil servants, even if they come from the nobility.
Annual budget
According to subsection 64 of the 1978 constitution and subsequent organic acts, the monarch is entitled to compensation from the annual state budget for the maintenance of his family and household administration, and freely distributes funds in accordance with the laws.The annual budget pays the remunerations for senior management staff, management staff and career civil servants, other minor staffing positions, and for general office expenses. The Head of Household, Secretary General, and other management staff salaries must be comparable to other administration ministers within the government, though in no way do they form part of the government or administration. As such, the management staff experience increases, decreases, or freezes to their pay in accordance with the fluctuations of government minister salaries.
Additionally, the annual budget pays for the maintenance and expenses of senior members of the royal family who undertake royal duties; which includes grocery, clothing, and toiletries allotments.
The budget approved by the Cortes for 2009 was just under 9 million euros. Not included in the annual budget is the maintenance and upkeep of royal residences, which is owned by the state and held in the national trust, and administered by Patrimonio Nacional
Patrimonio Nacional
The Consejo de Administración del Patrimonio Nacional is a Spanish state agency, under the jurisdiction of the Minister of the Presidency by delegation of the Prime Minister of Spain, that administers the sites owned by the Spanish...
on behalf of the government. Maintenance and upkeep includes groundskeeping
Groundskeeping
Groundskeeping is the activity of tending an area of land for aesthetic or functional purposes; typically in an institutional setting. It includes mowing grass, trimming hedges, pulling weeds, planting flowers, etc. The U.S. Department of Labor estimated that more than 900,000 workers are employed...
, domestic staffing
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
and catering and is paid by Patrimonio Nacional
Patrimonio Nacional
The Consejo de Administración del Patrimonio Nacional is a Spanish state agency, under the jurisdiction of the Minister of the Presidency by delegation of the Prime Minister of Spain, that administers the sites owned by the Spanish...
. This amount doesn't include King's yacht Fortuna (maintained by Patrimonio Nacional
Patrimonio Nacional
The Consejo de Administración del Patrimonio Nacional is a Spanish state agency, under the jurisdiction of the Minister of the Presidency by delegation of the Prime Minister of Spain, that administers the sites owned by the Spanish...
) nor other expenses such as transportation which are paid by the army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
. The Royal Household's budget has been criticized and accused of opacity, because the actual total budget and the real expenses of the King and the Royal Family are not made public.
All the King's expenses when travelling abroad on an official mission are paid with the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Organizational structure
The structure of H.M. The King’s Household comprises the Head of the Household, the General Secretariat and the Military Chamber.Head of the Household
The Head of the Household is responsible for operation of the services. In the field of economic, financial, budgetary and accounting management, a ControllerComptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
, with managerial rank, is assigned to the Head of H.M. The King's Household.
The Heads of the Household have sucesively been:
- 1975–1990 — Nicolás Cotoner y Cotoner, Marquis of Mondejar, Grandee of Spain
- 1990–1993 — Sabino Fernández Campo, Count of Latores,Grandee of Spain
- 1993–2002 — Fernando Almansa, Viscount of Castillo de Almansa,Grandee of Spain
- 2002–2011 — Alberto Aza Arias
- 2011–Current holder — Rafael Spottorno Díaz-Caro
General Secretariat
The Secretary General is the Deputy Head of H.M. The King's Household and responsible for the co-ordination of all its services. He also replaces the Head of the Household in the case of absence or illness. The General Secretariat is divided into units, whose heads form the Household's management team.The Planning & Co-ordination Cabinet is the support unit for both the Head of the Household and the Secretary General, with assistance and immediate collaboration tasks in the fulfilment of the duties assigned to them. The Bureau and Activities and Programmes form part of this Cabinet.
The Office of H.M. The Queen's Secretary carries out the study, preparation and implementation of all matters related to H.M. The Queen's activities, as well as those of Their Royal Highnesses The Infantas.
The Office of H.R.H. The Prince of Asturias' Secretary carries out the study, preparation and implementation of all matters related to the activities of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and The Princess of the Asturias.
The Security Service is responsible for the Royal Family’s immediate security. It has a Commander and is composed of members of the State Security Forces, assigned by the Ministry of the Interior.
Relations with the Media maintains contact with professionals from the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
, informing them of the official activities of the Royal Family, as well as their contents and organisation.
Protocol prepares and manages all aspects pertaining to protocol of the Royal Family’s different activities, both in Spain and abroad.
Administration, Infrastructure and Services manages the financial and budgetary side, as well as matters pertaining to the Household's staff. It manages and organises telecommunication and information services. It co-ordinates general maintenance of the installations of La Zarzuela Palace. The Quartermaster's Office and the Communications and Information Centre form part of this unit.
The General Secretariat's staff aggregates 137 civil servants, apart from those assigned to the Security Service by the Ministry of the Interior.
The Secretaries General have sucesively been:
- 1976–1977 — Alfonso Armada, Marquis of Santa Cruz de Rivadulla
- 1977–1990 — Sabino Fernández Campo, Count of Latores,Grandee of Spain
- 1990–1991 — José Joaquín Puig de la Bellacasa
- 1991–1993 — Joel Cansino Gimeno
- 1993–2002 — Rafael Spottorno Díaz-Caro
- 2002–2002 — Alberto Aza Arias
- 2002–2011 — Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner Rodríguez
- 2011–Current holder— Alfonso Sanz Portolés
Military Chamber
The Military Chamber Commander represents, at His Majesty The King’s immediate service, the Military Establishment within His Majesty’s Household.The Military Chamber prepares the military activities of the Royal Family's members and maintains the relations of a military nature with the authorities of the Ministry of Defence.
The Lieutenant-General or General on active duty is the Commander of the Military Chamber in comamnd of the Royal Guard
Royal Guard
A Royal Guard describes any group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, such as Emperor/Empress, King/Queen, or Prince/Princess...
. The Commander of the Military Chamber counts, for immediate support and collaboration, on a Cabinet , on an advisor belonging to the Military Legal Corps and on a Military Auditor. The Cabinet is divided into four Sections covering staff, protocol, operations and logistics, respectively.
The Aides-de-Champ to His Majesty The King, organised in successive 24-hour duty periods, assist His Majesty, in a permanent fashion and when carrying out his official duties, as well as H.M. The Queen and Their Royal Highnesses The Infantas Doña Elena and Doña Cristina. They also form part of the Retinue of Honour of foreign Heads of State on official visit to Spain. Four belong to the Army
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...
, two to the Navy
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
, two to the Air Force
Spanish Air Force
-The early stages:Hot air balloons had been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Alfredo Kindelán, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo directed the construction of the first Spanish dirigible in the Army Military Aerostatics Service, created in 1896 and located...
and one to the Civil Guard
Civil Guard (Spain)
The Civil Guard is the Spanish gendarmerie. It has foreign peace-keeping missions and maintains military status and is the equivalent of a federal military-status police force. As a police force, the Guardia Civil is comparable today to the French Gendarmerie, the Italian Carabinieri and the...
.
The Aides-de-Champ to His Royal Highness The Prince of Asturias assists His Royal Highness Prince of Asturias, in a permanent fashion and when carrying out his official activities, as well as Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias. One belongs to the Army, another one to the Navy and the last one to the Air Force.
See also
- List of titles and honours of the Spanish Crown
- List of Spanish monarchs
- Royal Consorts of SpainRoyal Consorts of Spain- House of Habsburg :- House of Bourbon :- House of Bonaparte :- House of Bourbon :- House of Savoy :- House of Bourbon :-See also:*List of Spanish monarchs*List of Aragonese consorts...
- Kings of Spain family treeKings of Spain family treeThis is a collection of the family trees of the kingdom of Spain. The former kingdoms of Aragon, Castile and Navarre were independent kingdoms that unified in the 15th century to become the Kingdom of Spain....
- List of Succession to the Spanish Throne
- Politics of SpainPolitics of SpainThe politics of Spain take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic constitutional monarchy, whereby the Monarch is the Head of State and the President of the Government is the head of government in a multi-party system. Executive power is vested in the government...