A family affair for Sofia and Letizia

The king of Spain has spent the night in hospital after a successful operation for problems with his hip replacement.  But he'll have to go through it all again in a few weeks' time to complete his treatment.  And that means the Spanish royal family doing what thousands of families do every year - settling down in the hospital waiting room while the doctors do their work.  After a stormy summer, Spain's first family came together at the Quiron clinic while Juan Carlos went under the knife.  And they'll have to do it all again before the year is out. Nothing tests families more than those tense hours of not knowing, all cooped up together, and this family has already been through plenty of tests.

 

The queen of Spain leads her family out of the hospital where King Juan Carlos had just undergone an operation on an infected hip

We all know that Sofia and Elena weren't huddled round the drinks machine, pumping in loose coins and hoping that the flimsy plastic cups would be enough to insulate their hands from the extra hot and nasty tasting coffee.  There's little chance of Felipe and Letizia fighting over the crossword puzzle to pass the hours.  The royals will, no doubt, have been treated royally while they waited for news of the head of the family's health.  But the fact they waited together in the hospital while the operation went on, rather than arriving first thing this morning or through the day to see the king, provided a show of unity that's been needed by the Bourbons for several months.

 

The queen of Spain took the first questions from the journalists waiting for news of the king's health

It may do little to answer the endless questions about the state of health of the royals as an institution.  The king's whirlwind of activity in the twenty four hours before he went into hospital showed that he's not willing to pass over any of the constitutional duties or powers he holds to his son and heir, even for a few days, which has raised the question for some of why. Critics of the Prince of Asturias see a lack of confidence in his abilities.  Others point out that the nature of the king's work isn't physical so that he should be able to continue with his constitutional duties regardless of whether he's standing, sitting or lying down.  The lack of the Infanta Cristina at her father's bedside has led to yet more debate.  Is it because the family is trying to avoid being seen with her or is daddy JC not really too ill at all? If there's no need to worry then there's no need to drag a mum of four with a job away from her home several hundred miles away, runs that argument.  Either way, the sight of four members of the royal family outside the clinic past midnight having made sure the king was well and resting was about all they could do to stop more rumours of crisis hitting them.

King Juan Carlos on his way to hospital on Tuesday 24th September 2013.  If he was hoping for a  few days away from the family, he was unlucky.  They were all there armed with Lucozade and grapes as he opened his eyes after the op.

There will be more photos in the days to come with a stream of visits while the king recuperates.  The arrival of is grandchildren will be particularly keenly awaited - especially the visit of Leonor and Sofia.  Their mother, Letizia, went a long way to annoying her critics last night by doing everything they don't expect of her.  She's often been under fire for putting herself forward when protocol suggests she should be hanging back a bit more as the consort but as the four royals left the hospital she put herself in a distinctly back seat position, leaving the talking to the queen and Prince Felipe.  All as it should be, given that it's the queen's husband and the prince's father who was being operated on.  Letizia, like the rest of the family, has got out of this hospital visit without any scars to show for it.