Madrid - During her 33 years as queen, Sofia of Spain had
been known for her gentleness and discretion.
But at the time of her 70th birthday, the Greek-born wife of King
Juan Carlos stunned the country with a sudden outburst of
outspokenness, reigniting a debate about the role of the monarchy.
The queen opened up to journalist Pilar Urbano, whose book 'The
Queen Up Close' was published just ahead of Sofia's birthday on
Sunday, and continued sparking controversy on Monday.
The book, which was described as the most controversial on a
member of the royal family so far, depicts a Sofia unlike the
amicably distant figure who is usually seen smiling on the pages of
glossy magazines.
The queen comes alive as a traditional and conservative woman with
strong views on issues such as a 2005 law that gave homosexuals full
marriage rights.
'I can understand ... that there are people with other sexual
orientations,' Sofia told Urbano.
'But should they feel proud of that? Should they climb on top of
cars and hold parades?' she asked. 'If everyone who wasn't gay
rallied through the streets, traffic would come to a standstill.'
Sofia said she felt gay unions should not be called marriages.
She also expressed opposition to abortion, which has been legal in
Spain for two decades, euthanasia, which Prime Minister Jose Luis
Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist government is considering legalizing,
and advocated the teaching of religion at schools, which the
government has downgraded.
The queen even commented on foreign policy, accusing US President
George W Bush of having implicated 'a whole lot of allied countries
in wars of revenge and destruction' after the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001.
The queen's comments were widely seen as coming at an unfortunate
time for the Spanish monarchy, which had already come under rare
criticism in 2007, with separatists in the north-eastern region of
Catalonia burning pictures of the royal couple.
A sexual caricature on Crown Prince Felipe and the king's rebuff
to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whom he told to 'shut up'
instead of criticizing a former Spanish premier at an Ibero-American
summit, added to the controversy.
The queen represented an institution that was above politics, and
did not have the right to criticize policies that had been adopted
democratically by parliament, commentators said.
'It is impossible (for the queen) to represent all Spaniards if
(she) sides with what (only) some of them think,' the daily El Pais
said in an editorial.
Appreciation for the monarchy was declining among young people,
who had not seen Juan Carlos thwart a 1981 coup attempt, the daily
pointed out.
The king's courage at that time earned him the admiration of his
subjects despite his having acceded to the throne by the will of
dictator Francisco Franco at the latter's death in 1975.
'The queen is a 70-year-old Catholic woman, and she has said what
many 70-year-old Spanish Catholic women think,' said Esteban Gonzalez
Pons of the main opposition People's Party (PP).
Pons, whose party is close to the conservative views expressed by
the queen, later tried to retract his critical comments.
A Socialist spokesman in the Catalan regional parliament advised
the queen to 'shut up,' like the king had told Chavez.
The Socialist government, however, described the queen as being
'very highly appreciated by Spaniards,' while others defended Sofia's
freedom of opinion.
'The queen says what she thinks and she does it divinely,' said
the king's sister Pilar de Borbon. 'The queen can express her views
as a private person,' a Madrid lawyer said.
Worried about the storm sparked by Sofia's comments, the Zarzuela
palace issued a statement saying Urbano had not reported them in an
'exact' manner and that they had been made 'privately' by the queen.
But Urbano, who already published a biography of Sofia in 1997,
stood by her book, which had initially been given the green light by
the palace.
The affair reignited the debate about the monarchy, which gay
activist Beatriz Gimeno slammed as an 'absurdly anachronistic
institution opposed to any social progress' such as gay rights.
Now that the queen had broken the rules that 'theoretically place
(the royals) above earthly squabbles, what are they good for?'
republican columnist Pilar Rahola asked.
The Basque branch of the far-left party Izquierda Unida on Monday
urged the Basque regional parliament to recognize 'the legitimacy of
the republic as an alternative to the monarchy.'
Yet polls continue showing a high level of support for the
monarchy, and Sofia told Urbano she trusted that criticism would
pass.
The pictures of royals that had been burned in Catalonia were just
'pieces of paper,' the queen said.
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