It is clear that the Spanish monarchy is in crisis. So is the fact that Felipe VI's actions have led a large part of Catalonia to believe that the monarch does not represent them, and that in recent times, especially since October 2017, there has been a turning point in the relations between the royal family and Catalans. No wonder the monarch's recent Christmas speech lost 700,000 viewers compared to last year, and that it was the second least watched of his reign.
The fact that the speech is broadcast by the majority of Spanish television channels means the audience share is always very high, and it is the comparative and qualitative data which must be evaluated. Thus, the king's speech was followed by 42.3% of Catalonia's audience, the lowest percentage in Spain. Thirty points lower than in Madrid or in the two Castilian regions (Castile-La Mancha and Castile and León). The total 5.6 million viewers are a far cry from the 10.4 million who watched the speech in 2020, the 8.1 million who did in 2017 or the 7.9 million of 2018. The audience share in Spain remains below 60%, a barrier which has only been broken once before.
The Spanish monarchy supporters, far from reflecting on the mistakes they have made, continue to take positions and attitudes that belong in another era. Their concern should be that the seed of discord in the royal family [infidelity allegations and strained relations between king Felipe and queen Letícia, as well as corruption and affair scandals regarding Spanish king emeritus Juan Carlos] could destroy the institution and yet, far from it, they encourage an often retrograde attitude, which does not change with the times. A friend pointed out to me how poorly Philip VI's speech compares to Charles III's.
No wonder Felipe VI's recent Christmas speech was the second least watched of his reign
It is worth looking at how the British monarch's conducted his speech: a short speech, while standing, talking about planetary problems —the environment, protecting the planet, compassion for others—, opened by the Buckingham Palace band, with no flags in sight and ending with a children's choir. In contrast, the Zarzuela palace speech could have been recorded several decades ago: the Constitution, Spain and the flag. It is normal that the latter looses popularity and appreciation. There is a Spain which has already lost and is following Catalonia's footsteps. The Madrid press, however, seems only concerned with the fact that the PSOE's partners are criticising the speech. A case of tree not letting you see the forest.