P
rince
of
A
sturias
A
wards
1981-2014. S
peeches
11
This religious community is always at hand in shelters for the most deprived, at the bedsides
of the terminally ill, at the feet of battered mothers and abandoned children, in AIDS, leprosy and
tuberculosis hospitals, with those dependent on drugs, providing basic food in their food kitchens,
to mention just some of the more obvious examples. Their commitment is as precious and sublime
as it is difficult: to work for a world that will foster the globalization of love and also arouse the
hope that we see so often and so sadly lacking in mankind’s heart.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I cannot help but remind you that this year is also the thirtieth anniversary of my father’s
crowning as King of Spain; the event inspired the birth of these Awards, which have since been
supported wholeheartedly. I would like to recall him here, and I know that I echo the Princess’
feelings, with admiration, respect and affection, those same
feelings that we also express for my mother, The Queen, who
has graced this ceremony like no other with her support and
presence at every edition.
This is why I believe it is a particularly opportune moment to
pay a tribute of acknowledgement andgratitude toHMTheKing, to
whom, alongsidemany other Spaniards fromdifferent generations,
we owe the construction of present-day, democratic Spain.
As Spaniards, we can be justly proud of this period of our
history. The self-confidence we demonstrate when we are able
to organize our coexistence in peace and freedom whilst also
being sensitive to the major changes that have occurred in
the world, have led to the most prosperous years in living memory. It has been a phase that has
transformed Spain into a country that is at long last a major participant in modernity, open to the
world and admired by it, with a growing prosperity that is converging with our more prosperous
neighbours. A country finally united with the European Union, one that has strengthened its ties
with the world as a whole, particularly in the Mediterranean basin and above all in Latin America.
An emotional remembrance is due to all those who have fallen victims to barbarity and terrorist
madness and to those who suffer endless threats and extortion in the course of our establishing
democracy. We feel profound solidarity with them all and with their families and we pay yet one
more heartfelt tribute to them.
However, the unquestionable success as a collective that the Spanish have achieved has not
been the outcome of improvisation or chance. It is the outcome of admirable work, of a firm and
sustained will to live in peace. These key years have passed under the inspiration, guidance and
protection of the 1978 Constitution, which so many Spaniards accepted as never before, firmly
exercising their sovereign rights and powers. It is an extraordinary political and legal monument,
constructed with exemplary responsibility, a profound sense of state and the broadest of generosity.
The unshakeable will to construct a better Spain, the Spain of all and for all, enabled a historic
reconciliation, eradicating the conflict that was endemic to our recent constitutional history and
establishing the political framework for modern Spain. The constitutional pact that is the bedrock
of our democratic coexistence, political and institutional stability and economic and social
progress that we now enjoy was constructed with the essential understanding and contest of will
of our political forces. None of this would have been possible without having the Constitution and
without respect for constitutional values.
To conserve and increase this immense, inalienable heritage is a historic responsibility of present
and future generations and, in short, one shared by everybody. It is also an essential heritage if we
are to cater for the needs and requirements that still endure in our society, if we are to make the
most of the new opportunities that unfold as this century dawns and thereby overcome as one the
challenges that today’s world throws up. These challenges range from those posed by globalization
and collective safety to those posed by migratory trends and the much-required protection of our
environment.
“An emotional remembrance is due to all
those who have fallen victims to barbarity
and terrorist madness and to those who
suffer endless threats and extortion in the
course of our establishing democracy.”
