King of Spain accused of 'going woke' as he speaks on country's imperial past

"Lessons should be learnt [from] moral and ethical controversies over the exercise of power from day one," he stated while visiting a Madrid museum alongside Mexico's ambassador.

His remarks represent a dramatic shift for a monarchy that had consistently maintained Spanish colonisation served as a civilising mission for native peoples.

Diplomatic sources indicated to The Telegraph that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who leads Spain's centre-Left government, likely orchestrated the king's change of position to strengthen ties with Mexico ahead of a Latin American summit in Madrid later this year.

The king's comments, while stopping short of a formal apology, sparked an intense backlash from Spanish right-wing figures who argued the conquistadors had brought civilisation to the Americas and ended practices such as human sacrifice when they toppled the Aztec empire in 1521.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the opposition People's Party, dismissed the acknowledgement as absurd. "The 21st-century view on things that happened in the 16th century is ridiculous," he said, adding: "I am proud of the Hispanic legacy in Latin America."

Isabel Díaz Ayuso, Madrid's regional president, defended the conquest in religious terms. "We, the people of the Cross, arrived and established a new order and, above all, a new way of understanding that life is sacred," she declared.

Hermann Tertsch, an MEP representing Vox party, expressed astonishment at the king's "adhesion to the theories of those who only wish to damage and do down Spain's history".

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded positively to the Spanish monarch's acknowledgement, describing it as a step towards healing historical wounds between the two nations.

"One could say that it is not everything we would have wanted, but it is a gesture of reconciliation," she said.

President Sheinbaum extended an invitation for King Felipe to visit Mexico during the World Cup in June.

Any formal apology carries significant legal implications, potentially exposing Spain to reparations claims from former colonies.

The diplomatic thaw follows years of tension between Madrid and Mexico City. In 2019, former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador wrote to King Felipe requesting acknowledgement of "massacres and oppression" against indigenous communities, but the Spanish royal household never responded.

Both nations currently share left-wing governments and have experienced strained relations with Donald Trump.

Users on social media were outraged by the comments, with one user declaring: "Our King has gone woke," with another adding "Colonialism was the only way to move times forward, King Felipe should remember that!"

European monarchs have adopted varying approaches when addressing their nations' colonial histories, with most carefully avoiding full acceptance of responsibility that could bolster legal cases for reparations.

King Charles has expressed "personal sorrow" regarding Britain's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, while Caribbean and African nations continue pressing for both apologies and financial compensation.

Belgium's King Philippe conveyed his "deepest regret" in 2020 for the brutal colonial violence inflicted in the Congo.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands stands apart, having issued a formal apology in July 2023 and requesting forgiveness for Dutch involvement in trafficking more than 600,000 enslaved people during the 17th century.

Meanwhile, African Union members are preparing legal action against former colonial powers, including Britain, Spain and France, seeking reparations through international courts for centuries of slavery and imperial exploitation.

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter