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Health issues are close to Princess Letizia of Spain’s heart. Besides ill children and cancer, she also is concerned for those suffering from rare diseases. On Tuesday, Her Royal Highness attended a meeting at the Spanish Federation for Rare Diseases (ERDF) in Madrid.
 Click here for more photos of the meeting During that meeting, Letizia learned about how families are affected by their loved ones suffering from diseases no one knows about, plus plans for World Day of Rare Diseases, taking place on March 1st.
Letizia made a brief statement Tuesday saying it is important “that we all remember that in our country there are three million people with rare diseases. And we all remain committed to the task of improving the lives of these people. ”
Since first getting involved in the ERDF in 2008, the Princess has given her support to the organization about twenty times. She has done this through private and public hearings, and helping out with the ERDF activities.
In Spain, when a disease effects only five out of 10,000, it is considered to be a rare illness.
Source: Casa Real
The President and First Lady of Peru began their official visit to Spain Wednesday. Ollanta Humala and Nadine Heredia were welcomed by the Spanish royal family at the palace, and in the evening, were guests of honor at a banquet.
 Click here for photos of the dinner During the dinner, His Majesty King Juan Carlos spoke about the relationship between Spain and Peru, saying: “Peru and Spain maintain a fraternal relationship that is based on history, culture, language and common values”
“Peruvians living in Spain and the Spanish who live in the Peru contributes to further strengthen our ties.”
The King then talked about how his country helped Peru grow economically. “The economic and business is a very significant of our relations…thus contributing to its economic growth, both in terms of goods and services generated as job creation or contribution to the public purse, not to mention involvement in corporate social responsibility.”
“Peru is a nation in Spain, sister and friend, and it is committed to the projects progress and welfare of the beloved people of Peru,” His Majesty concluded.
Source: Casa Real
Monday at Madrid’s royal palace saw the ceremony to induct French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Spain’s Order of the Golden Fleece. He was rewarded this for his efforts to cease the Basque separatists group, the ETA’s terrorist activities.
 Click here to see more photos of the ceremony The ceremony took place at the Official Chamber, where King Alfonso XIII appointed his knights. There, His Majesty King Juan Carlos gave Sarkozy the medal of honor – which is Spain’s highest civil honor.
In attendance were Queen Sofia, the Prince and Princess Asturias, and other members of the Golden Fleece, some of them former monarchs themselves. They were Simeon, the former King of Bulgaria, and Constantine, the former King of Greece.
In a speech, King Juan Carlos called Sarkozy a constant ally and praised him for “always making the victims the aim and end of your solidarity.”
He also noted Sarkozy efforts not only as President of France, but also the country’s Interior Minister from 2002-2004 and 2005-2007.
Sarkozy’s knighthood comes two days after France arrested three suspected ETA members.
Since its inception forty years ago, the ETA killed over eight hundred people. In October 2011, it announced it will cease terrorist activities.
The Order of the Golden Fleece began was created in 1430 when King Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, married Princess Isabella of Portugal.
Source: RFI, AP
 Click here to see more of the Princess at the book fair On Wednesday, Spain’s Princess Letizia was at the “XXXV Salon del Libro Infantil y Juvenil” – or 35th annual book fair – at the Galileo Cultural Center in Madrid. The event has long promoted an interest in reading for children and young adults.
The Princess visited the fair with Secretary of State for Culture, José Maria LaSalle, and the president of the General Council of Children’s and Youth, Sara Moreno.
She met with several of the children at the book fair. At one point, she sat with a group of children who watched a performance of storytelling acts in the survival of classic stories through oral tradition.
Her Royal Highness, LaSalle and Moreno were briefed on how the publishing industry continues to grow despite Spain’s economic turmoil. They were also told about how it is difficult for Spanish titles to crack the English language market.
Sources: Hoy Mujer,
Madrid witnessed its annual military parade on Friday, which represents the end of the December holidays and starts the political new year in Spain. This year’s Pascua Militar is also the first for the new Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, as well as the newly appointed Chief of Staff of Defense, Admiral Fernando García Sánchez.
 Click here to see more photos King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia came out for the military parade, which took place on a sunny afternoon. Past Pascua Militars were on rainy days, but this day was a stroke of luck for them. The King and his heir were in military uniform while the royal women were in formal dress. Both the Queen and the Princess tend to wear similar colors during this event.
The national anthem was played, followed by a 21 gun salute. His Majesty then reviewed the royal guard.
Inside the royal palace, at the Hall of Gasparini, the royals greeted the guests. They were: the institutional officials and the heads of the Defense Staff, the Royal and Military Order of San Fernando and San Hermenegildo, Civil Guard and the Brotherhood of Veterans.
The King then gave a speech where he paid tribute to Spain’s fallen soldiers and their families. He also urged the Armed Forces and Civil Guard to “uphold the principles of discipline, hierarchy and unity,” which, “with the duty of political neutrality and union” are “essential” to the tasks assigned to them.
He also talked about the current economic crisis. “I have the certainty that as you have done in the past exemplary way, you know get the most out of resources allocated and to be very careful in the use and maintenance of the media.”
“Thanks to your reputation, the result of your excellent staff training and high demand, our young people are attracted to the military profession,” King Juan Carlos said.
The tradition of Pascua Militar goes back to 1782 to the reign of King Carlos III. It is always held on the Feast of Epiphany, January 6th.
Source: ¡Hola!, Diez Minutos
Iñaki Urdangarin, the son-in-law of Spain’s King Juan Carlos, is due to appear before a judge in early February because of his alleged ties to a corruption scandal.
 Click here for related photos at Daylife.com Urdangarin, known as the Duke of Palma and married to Infanta Cristina, is being investigated for abusing public funds he received on behalf of a non-profit organization he ran between 2004 and 2006. But the exact accusations have not yet been revealed.
The AFP is reporting that the King forced the Duke to step down from Instituto Noos in 2006.
“(The King) ordered him to stand down from his activities and he sold his shares,” said an official, who works at the royal palace’s press office.
“He was told he shouldn’t work for himself and it would be better if he worked overseas.”
Iñaki now works for Telefonica, a telecommunications company, and is based in Washington, DC.
In addition this week, the Spanish royal family exposed their budget on their website.
King Juan Carlos is paid €292,752 annually by the state and pays 40% tax on his income.
The heir to the throne, Prince Felipe, gets €146,376. Queen Sofia and the three princesses – Infantas Elena, Cristina and Princess Letizia – get €375,000 each. The total budget for the royal family was €8.4 million this year.
The royal palace denies the family were obligated to reveal their finances and insist the royals did so for the sake of modernization.
Sources: BBC, AFP
On Tuesday, Spain witnessed the opening of the Xth legislature, of democracy or its opening of Parliament. King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia were in attendance for the event.
 Click here for more photos at Zimbio Not in attendance for the first time since 1979 were the King’s two daughters, Infantas Elena and Cristina. Many wondered if their absence was linked to Cristina’s husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, and his ties to a corruption scandal. Urdangarin has been excluded from the royal family because of it.
“They did not accept their invitation (to attend) for different reasons,” a royal palace communications official said. “It is their decision.”
In his speech to the new legislature, King Juan Carlos reiterated what he said during his Christmas Eve speech to the nation – such as its “responsibility to strengthen trust in the institutions” of Spain. He also added that no public figure was above the law, another echo of the previous speech.
His Majesty also spoke about the high unemployment rate. “All of you, deputies and senators, are united in the obligation to contribute with decisiveness and efficacy to getting over this crisis and its negative effects on citizens,” he said.
Sources: AFP, Hoy Mujer
 Click here to see the other photos The three children of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain have released the Christmas photographs of their families. Infanta Elena, Infanta Cristina and Prince Felipe all are showing how much their children have grown up.
Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia posed with their two daughters, Infantas Leonor and Sofia. The couple switch each pose each year. One year, their Christmas photo has just their two girls, the next year has their parents with them, and repeat.
Meanwhile, Elena used a photo of her two children, Felipe Frolian and Victoria, without her.
Infanta Cristina used a picture from third son’s Juan’s first communion this year. Some royal fans were disappointed not to see an original photo. However, it should be noted husband Iñaki Urdangarin is in this. Urdangarin is caught up in a scandal that caused him to be removed from the royal family.
The son-in-law to King Juan Carlos of Spain has been frozen out of the royal family following his connections to a fraud scandal.
 Click here to view photos at Daylife.com Iñaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma and husband to the King’s youngest daughter, Infanta Cristina, has been named as one of the players in an embezzlement of public funds while being head of a non-profit company, Instituto Noos. The money was used to set up a tourism and sports event in 2005 and 2006.
Urdangarin’s behavior “does not seem exemplary” and he has agreed to be removed from official royal activities, Spanish media quoted Rafael Spottorno, the head of the king’s household, as saying.
His lawyer Mario Pascual Vives said the Duke “is worried, saddened and rather indignant at what is coming out in the media” but insists he is innocent.
“He is concerned. I would say sorrowful is the word and maybe also indignant. Why not?” Mario Pascual said on state television. “He will always clearly feel his conviction he is fully innocent.”
In addition, the Spanish royals will publish on their official website how they spend taxpayer’s money at the end of this year.
For 2011, the royal family had a budget of €8.43 million or $11 million, which is five percent less than in 2010.
This scandal has caused much disgruntlement in Spain, where there is 20 percent unemployment. While King Juan Carlos is widely respected for supporting democracy during the country’s transition from the death of dictator Francisco Franco, there are reports that support for the monarchy has slipped.
Source: AFP, New York Times, Reuters Canada
 View more photos here at Daylife.com The husband of Spain’s Infanta Cristina spoke to the news agency EFE about his involvement with a corruption scandal that is causing controversy for the royal family.
Iñaki Urdangarin, Duke of Palma, said this in a phone conversation:
“With the accumulation of information and commentary in the media relating to my professional activities, I would point out that I deeply regret that they are causing serious damage to the image of my family and the House of His Majesty the King, who have nothing to do with my private activities.”
He went on to say, “I have appointed legal adviser and spokesman Don Mario Pascual Vives, counsel for the Bar Association of Barcelona, which will be the person authorized to speak in my name.”
Urdangarin is at the center of a scandal that accuses him of embezzling public money through a non-profit organization he was head of between 2004 and 2006.
It is expected that he would be indicted by early next year.
Sources: EFE, Telegraph (UK)
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