Spain’s King Juan Carlos is to abdicate after almost 40 years on the throne, the country’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said in a surprise announcement Monday.
The king, whose health is failing and has had a number of hip operations in recent years, is stepping down for personal reasons, Rajoy said.
"His majesty, King Juan Carlos, has just communicated to me his will to give up the throne," he announced. "I'm convinced this is the best moment for change."
Juan Carlos’s son, Prince Felipe, will take over the thrown, said the prime minister.
Once popular, the 76-year-old Juan Carlos, who helped smooth Spain's transition to democracy in the 1970s after the General Francisco Franco dictatorship, has lost public support in recent years due to corruption scandals and gaffes.