Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente harshly criticised King Felipe VI for allowing himself to be photographed with journalist Javier Negre during the inauguration ceremony of Colombia's president fifteen days ago. According to Puente, the monarch crossed "a red line" by greeting the broadcaster, whom he described as a far-right activist and "professional in defamation and misinformation".
Puente accused the King of committing an act of "absolute disgrace" and argued that the monarch's image becomes "contaminated" when photographed with questionable figures in non-protocol contexts. The minister contended that both parties suffer when a head of state is publicly associated with such personalities, as he expressed in his statements.
Negre is owner and director of several digital platforms with a conservative orientation operating in Spain, Latin America and the Spanish-speaking community in the United States. Puente claimed that the media outlets controlled by Negre attack him and his political circle systematically.
No Government colleague publicly called out Puente over his statements. Analysts noted that his criticism of the monarch could be interpreted as a move towards republican positions, though they cautioned that the controversy could also have been designed to divert public attention from the crisis in Ceuta while President Pedro Sánchez was on holiday.
