The Spanish monarchy and the other Nordic monarchies
The Spanish Royal House, known as Zarzuela, has always been compared to other monarchies that retain their prestige as institutional and popular representatives. The Nordic monarchies, such as Sweden and Norway, are examples of exemplary kings and queens, without scandals of the size and frequency of the Bourbons.
The Nobel Prizes and the prestige of monarchies
One of the milestones that gives prestige to monarchies is their participation in the Nobel Prizes. The kings of Sweden and Norway present these awards each year in Oslo and Stockholm. In Spain, they wanted to copy this award and created the Prince of Asturias Awards, now Princess of Asturias, which are given by Princess Eleonor in Oviedo.
The art award to Joan Manuel Serrat
This year, the art prize of the Princess of Asturias Awards has been awarded to Joan Manuel Serrat, an 80-year-old Catalan singer-songwriter. This recognition of the Spanish Crown comes late for Serrat, who is already retired. Despite this, Serrat is considered a symbol of the good Catalan that the monarchy likes, as he is bilingual, anti-independence and uncritical of the monarchy.
The controversy over accepting the award
Serrat has accepted the monarchy’s prize, although he has made a response full of cynicism: “They can change the number on the prize”. This has generated controversy and highlighted the relationship between the awardees and the Spanish Crown. It is clear that the Crown first asks the awardees if they will accept the award and then makes the list of awardees public. They would not award the award to LluÃs Llach, another Catalan singer-songwriter, because Llach would probably reject this distinction from the monarchy (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en-catala/).
Serrat’s view of the monarchy
Serrat has expressed his concern for the Catalan language and has stated that he claims both Catalan and Spanish. However, he does not consider himself a supporter of any particular cause and has not been critical of the monarchy in the past. Now, at the age of 80, Serrat has decided to accept the monarchy’s award, although many consider it a missed opportunity to express his opinion about this institution (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos -in Catalan/).
Conclusion
Joan Manuel Serrat, an 80-year-old Catalan singer-songwriter, has been awarded the art prize of the Princess of Asturias Awards. This recognition of the Spanish Crown has generated controversy, since Serrat is considered a symbol of the good Catalan that the monarchy likes. However, many feel that Serrat has missed an opportunity to express his opinion on the monarchy by accepting this award.
