Ten years of Felipe VI: King of Spain, father and a man committed to his values

An exhibition at the Museum of Malaga traces the recent history of the Crown with large-format photos showing the different facets of the monarch during his ten-year reign

Regina Sotorrío

Thursday, 27 March 2025, 16:02

As head of state in the solemn act of the anniversary of the Spanish Constitution, as a man committed to the victims of coronavirus and as a father who looks with tenderness at his daughter on her 18th birthday. The Museum of Malaga traces the different facets of the King in 'Felipe VI: A decade in the history of the Crown of Spain', a travelling exhibition celebrating his ten years as head of state for Spain. A total of 23 large-format photos, almost four metres high in some cases, which portray the main milestones of his reign, from his proclamation to his groundwork for the future of the Spanish monarchy with the help of his eldest daughter Leonor.

The institutional image of Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, signed by royal portrait painter Estela de Castro, opens the exhibition. It has been organised jointly by the Diputación de la Grandeza and the Fundación Cultural de la Nobleza Española, in collaboration with the Junta de Andalucía, Malaga city hall and the Unicaja Foundation, also with support from the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda.

The curator and academician of Fine Arts, Publio López, worked with up to 4,000 items from the royal photographic archives, based on pre-selected events chosen by the curator and academician of History, Enrique Moradiellos. The challenge was to summarise by means of these images the different areas in which King Felipe has been actively involved during this past decade.

Alongside the photos of his proclamation and coming to the Spanish throne in June 2014, there is a beautiful snapshot of the moment in 2018 when the King presented Princess Leonor with the neck-piece of the 'Insigne de la Orden del Toisón de Oro', the Crown's highest decoration. We see her grow in regal stature photo by photo, until she is pictured at the swearing-in of the Spanish Constitution in October 2023 upon her coming of age.

Some other highlights of the King captured on film are the Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony in 2017, the meeting with US President Joe Biden at the Royal Palace in 2022, the tribute to the victims of terrorism on the 25th anniversary of the murder of Miguel Ángel Blanco and his speech at the United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development in 2015.

Institutional milestones are combined with family photos snapped in the palace gardens and more spontaneous scenes and moments, such as the Queen's joy at the victory of the Spanish national football team, the King's warm greeting of Rafa Nadal and Doña Letizia's display of solidarity during a trip taking humanitarian aid to Honduras. This running documentary of images completes this journey through regal history.

The Malaga architect Francisco Bocanegra designed the exhibition layout for the Malaga location for this travelling exhibition. In the case of this museum in Malaga, he had the advantage of space. The wide, high walls of the former Customs House have made it possible to bring to the city the largest photo formats for this exhibition (elsewhere they have had to exhibit only medium- and small-sized versions of these photos). The Malaga exhibition follows the same format size as the one that was on display at the Royal Palace in Madrid in June 2024 when the celebration of the monarch's tenth anniversary began.

"Malaga has been closely linked to the Crown throughout the centuries, standing out for its loyalty", acknowledged the dean of the Diputación de la Grandeza, María Cristina de Ulloa y Solís-Beaumont, Duchess of Arcos. At her side were Malaga's maor Francisco de la Torre, deputy culture minister for the Junta Macarena O'Neill, and the leading arts representative for the Unicaja Foundation, Emilia Garrido. Until they were seated all the guests remained standing in front of their chairs in a gesture of respect that showed how keen the were to follow protocol in this event. Among those present at the opening of this exhibition in Malaga were representatives from the Spanish nobility such as the Duke of Medina Sidonia and the Marquis of Puebla de Cazalla, military representatives such as Colonel Juan Antonio Canalejo and leading figures from civil society, including the new president of the San Telmo Academy of Fine Arts, Rosario Camacho. The exhibition runs in Malaga until 4 May.

For Macarena O'Neill, this photographic display "invites us to reflect on how the Crown is linked to our democracy and committed to society within and outside of Spain." In times of geopolitical change, "today the stability" of the monarchy "is more valuable than ever", she stated. For the mayor of Malaga the Crown "is the best guarantee that the Constitution will be respected." In the difficult times that the country has gone through in recent years, from Covid to the 'Dana' storms wreaking havoc in Valencia and beyond, "the King has been able to rise to the occasion", said De la Torre.

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