Your Majesties, Your Highnesses,
Speakers of both Houses of the Spanish Parliament,
President of the Supreme Court and of the General Council of the Judiciary,
President of the Regional Government of the Principality of Asturias,
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food,
Delegate of the Central Government in Asturias, Mayor of Oviedo,
President of the Princess of Asturias Foundation,
Excellencies, Trustees, Laureates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In addition to being an honour, speaking from this stage is a tremendous privilege. Believe me: I have been doing so for 44 years, the last seven alongside my daughter Princess Leonor, who has gradually taken on this role, giving new signs of her maturity and sensitivity with each step, and also taking a more active role in public life.

Consequently, I believe it is my responsibility to cede the floor to her as Heir to the Crown and as Honorary President of the Foundation for the past 11 years. Naturally, I say this with emotion —as both a father and King— and, of course, with the firm intention of maintaining the bond to the Awards, the Foundation and Asturias: a beloved land from which I cannot imagine being distanced (much less so the Queen!). The affection we receive is so great, the memories and experiences so numerous, that I find it difficult to reciprocate correspondingly. However, you know at the Foundation (as does Leonor!) that ─present or not─ I will always be committed to its goals, values and future.

If speaking with the Laureates is ever a privilege, speaking about them is an indispensable civic duty, as we furnish them with a symbol with which we join together to exalt them, to thank them for their contribution to humanity and to learn from them. For the reason that a mature society must know how to identify excellence and recognize merit. Not as an end in itself, but because they serve as an example: a light on the path that each of us must follow.

There is a path forward in the lucid, complex and provocative thinking of Byung-Chul Han; in the sociological and demographic analysis of migration by Douglas Massey; in the work and studies of geneticist Mary-Claire King; in the elegant irony and narrative pulse of Eduardo Mendoza; in the grit and competitive spirit of Serena Williams; in the stark truth of Graciela Iturbide’s landscapes and portraits; in Mario Draghi’s dedication to progress and consensus, especially in Europe; and in the exceptional outreach and research work of Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology.

These paths which we praise at this ceremony are revealed even more clearly in the meetings they have held with the public throughout this week in Oviedo and elsewhere; in the curiosity and interest of the young people who attend these events, in their questions, their applause and, above all, in their faces. This direct interaction during Awards Week is one of the Foundation’s major successes: it is teaching and learning, but above all, it is dialogue. There is a great deal of Socratic spirit in these meetings.

We live in a world that all too often struggles between two extremes that are equally disturbing. On the one hand, we have the fostering of radical individualism, which, if not somehow restrained, can lead to both indifference and loneliness. It seems paradoxical that societies as interconnected as today’s are so full of people who are or feel alone, or have trouble communicating.

While, on the other hand, there exists a globalizing drive that homogenizes everything, that obscures differences and individualities, that degrades diversity. And it does so in favour of gregarious conduct, often subject to the subtle but persistent dictates of a network, an algorithm or a screen.

Values hover over this often-self-serving debate. As does education.

Educating in values does not mean denying the reality in which we live, nor does it mean avoiding technological changes that are already part of our lives and which, when managed ethically, can constitute an extraordinary contribution for everyone. It consists in finding that middle road between the community and the individual, between respect for the collective and the value of the individual.

Educating in values means enhancing life in society without abandoning the complex moral universe that resides within each and every one of us, and which is perfected through coexistence. It means opening up the person to a better way of living, with a greater sense of self-realization and greater awareness of being and existing in the world.

Education is the mainstay of democratic coexistence. As long as we are able to instil in those who come after us the principles and values for which we have fought, we shall be providing them with the tools to build their own future.

This educational facet is also very present in the Princess of Asturias Awards: in this tribute to a group of exceptional people whose long, fruitful and successful journey deserves to be recognized. Not to follow it, nor to imitate it, but to learn how it is done: how to trace out and follow a good path.

Let us accept their example as a word of encouragement that illuminates our own journey, as the experience of the finest who, moreover, inspire us to help improve as far as possible the society in which we live.

Today we gratefully congratulate them and honour their work. Our thanks to the FPA and its Trustees for making this possible, and our heartfelt thanks to the people of Asturias for their affection, enthusiasm and warmth each autumn, and for making these Awards an essential part of our collective memory.