Juan Carlos

Spain's Parliament backs King Juan Carlos's abdication

Spain's lower house of Parliament on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favour of urgent government legislation allowing King Juan Carlos to abdicate this month and hand over his duties to Crown Prince Felipe.

Images: Spanish King Juan Carlos' life in photographs

Spain's King Juan Carlos, who led Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy, will abdicate so his son Felipe can become the country's next monarch, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told the country Monday in an announcement broadcast nationwide.

King Juan Carlos' greatest legacy: Ordering an end to 1981 coup

Juan Carlos kept his son and heir Prince Felipe, then aged 13, at his side throughout the crisis. "I wanted him to see what one has to do when one is king," he said later.

Spanish King Juan Carlos to abdicate in favor of son

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says King Juan Carlos plans to abdicate and pave the way for his son, Crown Prince Felipe, to become the country's next king.