MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's King Juan Carlos I said he was worried about high youth unemployment and urged Spaniards to stick together to combat an economic crisis, in an interview to mark his 75th birthday after a year of scandal for the royal family.
The king was widely respected for overseeing Spain's transition to democracy in the 1970s but last year his popularity slumped after he was forced to apologies for going on an elephant hunting trip to Botswana as his country was mired in financial crisis.
The interview, broadcast on national television late on Friday, did not mention the trip or his son-in-law, who is under investigation for embezzlement.
The king spoke of his pain at Spain's unemployment rate, which stands at 25 percent.
"The lack of work, which means millions of families cannot live with dignity and that young people have to leave Spain to find whatever they can working abroad, that hurts us a lot, and it hurts me especially," Juan Carlos said.
More than half of young people in Spain are unemployed, owing to a sharp economic slowdown after the country's decade-long real estate boom turned to bust five years ago.
Youth unemployment hurts me, says Spain's king as he turns 75 - Read Full Story at World-Reuters
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