Spain’s King Acknowledges Colonial Abuses During Madrid Museum Visit
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MADRID, March 17, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Spain’s King Felipe VI on Monday acknowledged abuses committed during the country’s colonial era, in remarks that mark a rare public recognition by the Spanish monarchy of wrongdoing linked to its imperial past.
Speaking during a visit to the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, the king said colonial laws were intended to provide protection but did not always achieve their stated goals.
“Spanish colonial laws wanted to protect. But in reality things didn’t work out as they were originally intended and there was a lot of abuses,” Felipe said.
The king added that when historical events are examined under modern values, they cannot be viewed with pride.
“When we study certain things under modern-day criteria, with our values, obviously we can’t feel proud. But we must learn from this within its context, without too much moralizing. We must learn lessons through objective and rigorous analysis,” he said.
Felipe visited an exhibition focusing on Indigenous women in Mexico and was accompanied by Mexico’s ambassador to Spain, Quirino Ordaz.
Spain and Mexico have experienced diplomatic tensions in recent years over the legacy of Spanish colonial rule.
In 2019, Mexico’s then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called on the Spanish government and Pope Francis to apologize to Indigenous communities for abuses committed during the Spanish conquest.
In 2024, his successor Claudia Sheinbaum did not invite King Felipe to her inauguration after the monarch declined to issue a formal apology for colonial-era abuses.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the move as “unacceptable.”
