The award ceremony of the Collar of the Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, held this Friday at the Royal Palace in Madrid, became one of the most significant events of the reign of Felipe VI. A day full of symbolism and memory in which the monarch imposed the prestigious distinction on Queen Sofia, former Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez and jurists Miguel Herrero and Miquel Roca, two of the fathers of the 1978 Constitution.
The event is part of the institutional activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Franco and the restoration of the Monarchy in the figure of Juan Carlos I. An event full of political and social significance that has returned to the public agenda the key moments of the Spanish transition.
Queen Sofia, protagonist of the tribute
Felipe VI signed on October 29, 2024 the decree granting his mother the Golden Fleece Necklace to recognize “her dedication and devotion to the service of Spain and the Crown”, as published in the Official State Gazette (BOE). However, the official imposition had not been made until now, turning the ceremony into a gesture of strong emotional and dynastic charge.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia, together with Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia, presided over the ceremony in a Royal Palace full of institutional authorities, representatives of the powers of the State and key figures of Spanish politics.
Don Juan Carlos, the great absentee at the ceremony
The moment was marked by an unavoidable absence: that of King Juan Carlos I, who was not invited to the institutional event.
As Zarzuela explained, the retired monarch renounced to participate in institutional acts in 2019, a year before his departure to Abu Dhabi, where he took up residence in August 2020. Even so, the Royal House confirmed that he will be present at the private family meal scheduled for Saturday at the Palace of El Pardo, as already happened in 2023 during Leonor’s swearing in of the Constitution.
His absence once again underlines the complex institutional situation of the emeritus, who continues to be away from public life but not from family gatherings.
A ceremony with key absences and presences
The event was attended by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, the President of the Congress, Francina Armengol, the President of the Senate, Pedro Rollán, the President of the Constitutional Court, Cándido Conde-Pumpido, and the President of the Supreme Court, Isabel Perelló, among other authorities.
The absence of the State Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz, after his recent conviction for disclosure of confidential information, with a sentence of two years of disqualification and a fine of 7,200 euros, was highlighted.
Neither Vox nor the government partners attended, who decided not to participate in the institutional event.
Felipe González, Herrero and Roca: an acknowledgement of the architecture of democracy
Together with Queen Sofia, Felipe VI presented the necklace to three essential figures in Spanish political history:
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Felipe González, the first socialist president of democracy, whose role was key to “the integration of our country into Europe and the international community”.
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Miguel Herrero y Rodríguez de Miñón, father of the Constitution and former UCD deputy.
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Miquel Roca Junyent, also a constitutional father and one of the architects of the territorial model.
In both cases, the distinction recognizes “their efforts to promote coexistence and constitutional order”.
A Toisón steeped in tradition: from the 15th century to the Spain of the 21st century
The Order of the Golden Fleece, created in 1430 by the Duke of Burgundy Philip III the Good, is one of the most prestigious distinctions in the world. It passed to the Spanish royal house through Emperor Charles V, and since then Spanish monarchs have acted as Sovereigns and Grand Masters of the Order.
The necklace is a unique piece: an ornament with the arms of Burgundy from which hangs the emblematic Golden Fleece, symbol of the myth of Jason.
According to the Royal House, about 1,200 necklaces have been awarded since its foundation, most of them to men, although since the reign of Juan Carlos I, European sovereigns such as Beatrix of the Netherlands, Margaret of Denmark or Elizabeth II of England have also received them.
An institutional closing looking to the future
After the ceremony, the King and Queen will travel to the Congress of Deputies, where they will preside over an event to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the restoration of the Monarchy. There, the round table “50 years later: the Crown in the transition to democracy” will be held , which will delve into the institutional role of the Royal Household in the Spanish democratic system.
Overall, the presentation of the Golden Fleece became a double tribute: to the careers of four key figures in contemporary Spain and to the continuity of a historical tradition that Felipe VI wanted to place at the center of the democratic commemoration.
