His Majesty The King's Christmas Message () is the annual broadcast by the Spanish monarch on Christmas Eve. It has taken place every year since 1975, the first year of Juan Carlos I's reign. The speech is aired on all Spanish TV channels.Mensaje de S.M. Juan Carlos I - 2008
Broadcast The message typically combines a chronicle of that year's major events, with specific focus on politics, economy, culture and social affairs, and also the sovereign's own personal feelings on Christmas. It is usually not broadcast until 21:00 on 24 December.
Recurrent topics During his reign, King Juan Carlos I usually covered the main problems of the nation, such as ETA. In 2004, the speech was highly related to the Madrid train bombings earlier that year; in 2006 the King discussed the need to become a united nation against terrorism (in implicit support of Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's anti-terrorist policies) and he mentioned the increasing force of immigrants in Spain and appreciated their contribution to the economy.
Special speeches Monarch Date Theme Juan Carlos I 24 February 1981 1981 Spanish coup d'état attempt 11 March 2004 2004 Madrid train bombings 23 March 2014 Death of Adolfo Suárez 2 June 2014 Abdication of Juan Carlos I Felipe VI 3 October 2017 2017 Catalan independence referendum 18 March 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
In popular culture During his reign, Juan Carlos began his speeches with the phrase "" ("The Queen and I"). This was commonly considered his main catchphrase and as such has often been parodied by media. A comic strip in El Jueves magazine about the monarchy takes his title from this. In a departure from his father's custom, King Felipe VI started his 2015 speech with the phrase "" (Good evening). The King's speech has been parodied in many television shows such as . Mariano Rajoy's speech on the occasion of the National Day of Spain received left-wing criticism because it bore a resemblance to the King's Christmas speech. Rajoy delivered his message seated near the flag of Spain and in a medium shot, just as royal speeches usually are.
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