Trying to bury bad news

On Wednesday night, a cacophony of banging pots and pans, sounded out King Felipe’s speech, who took to the airwaves to discuss the severity of the coronavirus.

The public protest was a response to the US$100 million in bribes that Felipe’s father reportedly received from the former king of Saudi Arabia. The royal household attempted to subdue public outrage from the scandal, releasing a statement earlier this week that Felipe intends to renounce his father’s inheritance, but that did not stop a significant portion of the Spanish population from demonstrating their outrage. Mas Pais, a leftist movement in Spain tweeted that the money uncovered in the scandal should be donated to Spain’s public health system, which has become overburdened by the numerous hospitalisations of people suffering from COVID-19. And, it appears that there is no longer popular support for the monarchy as an institution in Spain and Felipe has a battle on his hands to calm the country’s virus fears while distancing himself from his father’s questionable behaviour.