P
rince
of
A
sturias
A
wards
1981-2014. S
peeches
5
Matías Rodríguez Inciarte
—
President of the Princess
of Asturias Foundation
Last year, following from the proclamation of Felipe as King of Spain, Princess Leonor became
Honorary President of our institution and our awards were renamed the Princess of Asturias
Awards. We believed it was then time to publish the speeches given by HMThe King at the 1981-
2014 Awards Ceremonies as a compendium of years that evoke memories and moments of such
significance for us.
The Call for the 2015 Awards gave continuity to what has been an ever-growing endeavour for
our institution throughout thirty-four years. This publication provides the opportunity to place
that firm and steady evolution on record, an evolution that has brought us so much gratification.
The texts published here thus remind us where we have come from, while at the same time
illuminating our future. The words of the Laureates and HMThe King —always touching, socially
committed and evocative— situate us in a time which, from the past, continues to call on and move
us to continue along the path already laid out in 1980 by the Foundation and its Awards: that of
commitment to society, that of recognizing the finest in culture, science, sports and humanitarian
actions. The path of excellence and solidarity.
