Now on HBO Max: 'Saving the King' Shows Us Why We Need the Spanish Spinoff of 'The Crown'

By Alberto Cox Délano | TV | October 5, 2022 |

By Alberto Cox Délano | TV | October 5, 2022 |

Is the mourning period over? Can we mock royals without being told off by Piers Morgan? Because people, I’ve found a doozy for you.


The British Monarchy has such a monopoly on the Anglo gossip industry that many are unaware that there are other European Monarchies that are just as Good for Gossip, just as messy, and just as scandalous as the Windsors, and they are even worse at covering up said scandals. Case in point: The Spanish Crown and the current crop of the House of Borbón. For reference, in the Spanish-speaking world, we enjoy a balanced gossip diet in coverage of the British and Spanish monarchies, with a side of the remaining ones which might be as messy, but there’s more public oversight over their moves.

I don’t know how familiar you are with the current state and background of the Spanish Royals, so let’s make it quick: Spain in decadence since the 1800s. Monarchy is eventually abolished and replaced with a democratically elected Republic circa de 1930s. Reactionaries undermine the Republic and, eventually, Francisco Franco throws a coup when election results didn’t go the conservatives’ way. Spanish Civil War. Francoist dictatorship, fascism, and National-Catholicism. Franco starts aging and needs to find a proper succession and had always promised to restore the Monarchy. Franco chooses Prince Juan Carlos de Borbón though he wasn’t exactly first in the Borbón line of succession. Franco dies and King Juan Carlos I helps ease Spain’s rocky transition toward democracy. King Juan Carlos I and family enjoy a wave of popularity over the course of three decades, as Spain becomes a 1st World country and solid democracy. Then Spain’s economy goes to shit, political crises succeed each other and every worst-kept secret about Juan Carlos I comes to light, including his multiple affairs, luxurious trips to Africa to hunt protected species, and, worst of all, his lucrative and crooked-ass dealings with Saudi Arabia. He abdicates in 2014, goes into exile, his son Felipe VI takes over, the family is fractured, and Spain’s anti-monarchy sentiment reaches record levels.

So … if all of that piqued your interest, then you are going to love Saving the King, a three-part docuseries now available on HBO MAX, which tells the story of how Juan Carlos I was made, what brought about his downfall and, more importantly, how the Spanish Secret Services and establishment press work to protect him from public scrutiny. And protect him did they, because Juan Carlos I clearly is a man with zero chill, zero scruples, and zero notion that tabloids exist everywhere, not just in Spain. He fucked up so often and had to be rescued by Spanish Intelligence so frequently that … well, no wonder counter-terrorism isn’t their strong suit as a community.

Though Saving the King falls into the overhanded visual storytelling you expect from, well, Network TV docuseries, they do a good job of providing a comprehensive picture of Juan Carlos I’s corruption and licentiousness, with insights into what makes him tick, namely, the tragedies and poverty of his childhood.

Juan Carlos I is very much like Elizabeth I, in that both enjoyed perennial popularity for their role during some of the darkest moments of their respective countries. In Juan Carlos case, it was the coup attempt of 1982. But in many other ways, he was a lot like Philip of Edinburgh in that he was also born into exile, went through a traumatic childhood and youth (no spoilers but … it also involved the death of a sibling) and would sleep around as a matter of personal pride. Allegedly. In Philip’s case. But unlike Lizzie, Juan Carlos I was too thirsty, too reckless, and too prideful to realize he probably killed the same monarchy he once brought back.

After watching Saving the King, I became even more convinced that the modern Spanish Crown needs its own version of The Crown, shared-universe style and yes, the same scale and budget. They have nothing to envy about their British counterparts and, moreover, Juan Carlos I, his grandfather and his children have actually done things that impacted their country’s history. Not always positive.

Saving the King is currently streaming on HBO Max.