King Felipe VI has claimed this Friday the necessity of caring for democracy beyond the ballot boxes, in a speech delivered during the ceremony for the presentation of the Princess of Asturias Awards 2026, held at the Campoamor Theatre in Oviedo. Just over a month before the general elections on November 29, the monarch has reminded that electoral participation constitutes a fundamental responsibility, but it is not enough by itself to guarantee democratic coexistence.
"The exercise of democracy is not exhausted in elections like the ones we will soon experience, where citizens will have, once again, the very high responsibility of defining the political direction of our country," Felipe VI has stated, who has demanded "a daily, civic, and demanding commitment" to the institutions and the rules of coexistence.
The King has defended the importance of preserving democratic forms and seeking the common good, attending to the legitimate interests of all citizens. His words come in the midst of the electoral pre-campaign, when the parties finalize their candidacies for Congress and the Senate for the elections on November 29.
Felipe VI recalls the Transition and the Constitution of 1978
During his speech, the monarch has recovered the legacy of the Transition, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Law for Political Reform, which opened the way to democracy after the Franco dictatorship.
Felipe VI has described that period as "a complex process, based on generosity and broad-mindedness", which allowed for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to freedoms. He has also claimed the Constitution of 1978 as a text capable of embracing all Spaniards without distinction.
However, he has warned that democracy demands constant renewal. "It obliges us all to be humble, to remain alert," he has pointed out, before insisting on the responsibility of citizens to continue learning and improving.
The King has also reflected on the value of experience in a society conditioned by the excess of information and the development of artificial intelligence. In his opinion, the awardees of this edition demonstrate that knowledge and personal trajectory retain essential value against the accumulation of data.
Leonor alerts to the disillusionment of young people and claims the value of the human
The princess Leonor has dedicated her speech to the concerns of the new generations in the face of an international scenario marked by conflicts, extremisms, inequalities, and uncertainty.
"Young people are asking us questions", stated the heir to the throne, who acknowledged feeling a "mix of vertigo and excitement" in the face of present challenges. Among them, she mentioned the cost of living, technological wars, and the influence of social media.
Leonor also defended the need to "debate the value of human imperfection against the supposed perfection of the machine", a reflection that connected with her tribute to the awardees.
From Messi to Studio Ghibli: the princess's personal memories
One of the most personal moments of Leonor's speech came when she spoke about Studio Ghibli, awarded the Communication and Humanities Prize. The princess recalled how her mother, Queen Letizia, took the two sisters to the cinema to see Ponyo on the Cliff, when Infanta Sofía was still not two years old.
"For Sofía, it's her first movie in a cinema!", Leonor recounted, highlighting the influence of the Japanese studio's films on her education and its defense of nature and humanism.
She also dedicated a few words to Lionel Messi, Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, highlighting his "unrepeatable career" and his ability to turn "the extraordinary into routine," without losing sight of the collective dimension of football.
Referring to the writer Julian Barnes, the princess defended the capacity of literature to convey emotions. "No AI will be able to replicate the emotion that his work provokes", she assured. The princess concluded her speech with a verse from Paul Valéry recovered by Hayao Miyazaki: "The wind rises... We must try to live!!".
Patti Smith sings live and Garton Ash calls for a united Europe
The American singer Patti Smith, Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts, intervened on behalf of all the awardees to claim the importance of continuing to work and evolve throughout life.
About to turn 80 years old, the artist explained that the recognition serves as a stimulus to continue creating and to convey hope to new generations. "We are the world around us, we can be the revolution of the earth", she stated before closing her speech by performing her song Wing live.
For his part, the British historian Timothy Garton Ash, Social Sciences Award, has turned to football to call for a more united Europe. In the presence of Messi, he compared sporting success with the need to combine individual talent and teamwork to respond to international challenges.
"We would be unbeatable," Garton Ash has stated, who has defended a "free" Europe, capable of reforming and expanding in the face of international uncertainty and the consequences of the war in Ukraine.