Spaniards hail their king

Royal guards on horseback accompanied the limousines taking the king, Queen Sofia and their three children to the parliament building.

The session began with a moment of silence to protest the killing of Socialist politician Ernest Lluch by presumed Basque terrorists the previous evening.

In his speech, the king called for unity in the face of terrorism and stressed that the monarchy had been legitimized by the backing of the Spanish people.

The king helped Spain make the transition to democracy after Franco´s death in 1975 and had become an "engine and expression" of the "collective success of the Spanish people", Aznar said in a radio interview.

Chosen by Franco to take over after his death, Juan Carlos was first regarded as the general´s "puppet", but he won the respect and love of Spaniards by siding firmly with democracy and thwarting a coup attempt in 1981.

The monarch is also popular for his friendly and sociable character, and is said to have turned Spaniards into "juancarlists" rather than monarchists.

Spain´s monarch "has to earn his throne every day", the king once told Crown Prince Felipe, 32. Conscious of the fragile foundations of his position, Juan Carlos maintains a relatively modest lifestyle compared to some European royals.

(la/dpa)