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A speech by HRH The Prince of Wales at an official dinner hosted by The Prince and Princess of The Asturias Palacio Real, Madrid
30th March 2011
Your Royal Highnesses,I just wanted to begin, if I may, by thanking The Prince of The Asturias for those very kind words, and also by thanking him and The Princess of The Asturias for entertaining us so splendidly in these magnificent surroundings, and in the company of such distinguished guests. After an interval of seven years, it is such a joy to return to Spain – particularly as this is my darling wife’s first official visit to your country. Although I have it on good authority, to my amazement, that this is now my eleventh visit to your country, so if I may say so you are very long suffering to put up with another one.
Having, I hope, not entirely wasted my time at Cambridge University over forty years ago and obtained a degree in history, I know that the relationship between the United Kingdom and Spain is one of the oldest, deepest and – how can I put it? - most intense that exists between any two nations. We have at times been bound by trade, by politics, by Treaty and by marriage. Your Royal Highness mentioned your Great Grandmother, Queen Enid of Spain who was also my Great Aunt and someone I adored as a child. And, at other times, we have been divided by war, by religion, and by economic rivalry. But I think I can say without fear of contradiction that throughout the centuries one thing we have never lacked is mutual respect and admiration, irrespective of the side of the argument on which we have found overselves!
Your Royal Highnesses, the destinies of our two countries, and indeed our two families, have been woven together throughout history. When our interests have coincided we have made a powerful alliance. Two hundred years ago our soldiers fought alongside each other in your War of Independence under the inspired leadership of The Duke of Wellington, whose descendant, the Marquess of Douro – or, perhaps more appropriately, The Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo! – is with us this evening. Today our troops are serving together, under NATO, in Baghdis and Helmand in an effort to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan – as I saw for myself when I visited that country in March last year.
Our long history of international engagement is, of course, not just limited to military deployments. We both built Empires and, when the tide of history turned, found imaginative ways to retain our bonds with those countries, including the bond of language. Indeed, thanks to historical giants like Cervantes and Shakespeare, our culture and language have transcended our national boundaries and now belong to a global human heritage.
Ladies and Gentlemen, perhaps one of the key challenges of the early Twenty-First Century is how our societies can cope with or adapt to the immense complexities thrown up by our brave, new, globalized world. Our shared international past has bequeathed all of us a deep-seated commitment to open markets and free commerce, as I saw today when I met some of the most prominent companies trading between Spain and the U.K. and investing in both our economies. The diversity and scale are breathtaking. Few British High Streets are without their Zara store or their Santander branch. (Incidentally Zara, together with shops like the encouragingly-named El Corte Ingles, are working with my Campaign for Wool to promote the benefits of this wonderful eco-efficient natural product and at the same time help struggling wool farmers around the world.) Spanish companies such as Ferrovial, Iberdrola and Telefonica are now an integral part of our economic landscape, creating employment for many thousands of British people. And what British breakfast table would be complete without a jar of Seville orange marmalade?!
Your Royal Highness, I know that you share my strong belief that we should not let economic development blind us to the importance of social responsibility. In this regard, I can only applaud the efforts of Spanish and British companies to embrace the concept of Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility – and, if I may, encourage them to do more. You will notice that I stressed the concept of “Environmental Responsibility”. This is because I believe we have a fundamental duty to our children and grandchildren to protect our Planet from the catastrophic effects of climate change and the over-exploitation of Nature’s capital. By building ever-more effective partnerships between the public, private and N.G.O. sectors, we stand a better chance of finding solutions that are not only Government-friendly and business-friendly, but which are more durable and can stand the test of time. After twenty-six years of working to build such partnerships, I much look forward to discussing with business leaders tomorrow how we can work together to create a more durable, low carbon economy.
Your Royal Highnesses, perhaps more than anything else, British people have come to know and love Spain as a place to spend their holidays – or even their retirement. For decades, many millions have been drawn by your beaches, your climate, your culture, your traditions, your food and your wine, but above all if I may say so by your warm and open-hearted hospitality. In conclusion, let me say that my wife and I really could not be more delighted or more grateful to be enjoying that hospitality tonight.
Now Ladies and Gentlemen please be very kind and rise and drink a toast to Their Majesties The King and Queen of Spain, Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of The Asturias, and to the close and the warm relationship between Spain and the United Kingdom.