This is one of the things that the king wanted to make clear when leaving Paiporta: they will return to those affected by the tragedy. “And it will soon be the case,” explains a person close to Zarzuela’s team.
Few of those at the seat of state will be able to forget what happened on Monday. We can say that it was the most tense moment experienced by the Crown since the arrival on the throne of Philip VI ten years ago now.
The security team of the Maison du Roi, led by General Miguel Herráiz -dressed in civilian clothes and next to the Head of State-, found themselves confronted in Paiporta with something to which they are not accustomed, and the system worked perfectly.
“We clearly see in an image that one of the neighbors wants to speak to the king and tries to jump the security cordon. One of the civil guards, dressed in civilian clothes, responsible for protecting the leader, said to him: ‘Calm down, calm down, who is approaching now.’ At no time does he push him, separate him or prevent him from approaching, he treats him politely and tries to calm him down, and that’s what we look for in our team. . If, on the contrary, he pushes him violently so that he can calm him down, stop harassing him. Rey, the neighbor would have reacted with violence and we would have had a lot of problems,” explains a source from Zarzuela’s security team.
“It’s all training. It was horrible tension for everyone,” he adds. The Kings are not used to demonstrations, they are generally greeted with applause and cheers each time they visit the national territory.
But the truth is that the head of the security team tried three times to get Felipe VI off the streets and protect him from the neighbors, and he refused each time. “It was he who asked them to close the umbrellas to prevent the mud they threw at the procession from hitting them. The King had no intention of giving up, aware that his role at that moment- was to calm minds, to create a space of trust which would allow him to approach people, to listen to them and to console them In the midst of the chaos, the king insisted on remaining in conversation with the neighbors,” adds. he.
Government approval
Sources close to Felipe VI’s team assure this newspaper that, since Thursday, a day after the DANA devastated Valencia, official sources from Zarzuela have informed the government of the kings’ desire to surrender as soon as possible. delays in affected areas. This desire was transmitted to the media with the approval and backing of the government, since no activity of the Head of State is published without it.
“We were talking about the weekend, and Moncloa thought the date was perfect, even if it took a while to say what day, because the tragedy grew as the hours passed. But it made the King grow more want to go, and so it was communicated to the Executive of Pedro Sanchez” explains the same source.
Felipe VI made it clear that his visit should not interfere with the work of the emergency services, the army and the personnel present in the area for rescue, clean-up and salvage operations. This is where the first mistake is made, and this was recognized this Monday during Zarzuela’s internal meetings.
“Few members of the staff of the Maison du Roi came to visit us, the team has been reduced to the minimumbut ultimately, with the presidency of the government and the Generalitat Valenciana, the caravan was numerous,” say sources close to the king.
For this reason, many people who came to help had to let the authorities pass. “It was a mistake that should have been foreseen, because, logically, it gave a very bad feeling to the people concerned and to the volunteers who worked there,” they explain.
The Queen, “very touched”
On Friday, the King held an extraordinary meeting with the President of the Government to coordinate the visit. It was then that it was decided that Sánchez would accompany the kings. “What happened at the La Palma volcano was taken as an example, that is to say, it is normal for a minister to accompany kings; but this time, the president accompanied them, and in the meeting it was decided to repeat the same thing, no one objected,” the sources added.
After visiting the command center, installed in the space of a gas station at the entrance to Paiporta, les Reyes, Sánchez and Carlos Mazon They drove a short distance to the beginning of the urban area. The tour, planned with stops in Paiporta and Chiva, proved difficult.
Hundreds of people took to the streets as tensions rose. The first minutes were chaotic. Without the president of the government, Felipe and Letizia They stayed in town twice as long as expected. In total, three hours.
After this experience, Zarzuela wanted to keep the visit to Chiva, which was the second part of the planned trip. However, the authorities advised against it and therefore ended the trip with a meeting at the Integrated Operational Coordination Center. (CECOPI).
And it was at that moment that the King wanted to express to politicians what their role is at the moment. With improvised words, he affirmed that they are there to bring “hope” to citizens and guarantee them that the State “in all its fullness is and will be present”.
Back in Madrid, the queen was “very shaken”, according to sources. “Not because of the mud, not because of the insults… She was devastated because, as she expressed several times during the visit, the people of Paiporta were right.”
As they drove back to Zarzuela, they shared the phrase they heard someone say before getting in the car: “Felipe, don’t abandon us; help us. do what you can“. “And that’s what the King wants to do and will do. Let them know he will always be with them,” the sources conclude.
