Podcast Summary: "15 minutos de fama | Navidad real: conciertos, exposiciones, primeros vuelos y desplantes"

• Podcast: Hoy por Hoy – SER Podcast
• Date: December 9, 2025
• Hosts: Martín Bianchi and co-host

Overview

In this lively episode of "Hoy por Hoy," Martín Bianchi and his co-host dissect the latest happenings in the Spanish and international royal families as the holiday season approaches. The conversation meanders through festive events, the presentation (and controversy) around King Juan Carlos I's memoirs, inheritance drama, royal traditions, and the modernizing—or lack thereof—of monarchies worldwide. With characteristic wit and irreverence, the hosts mix inside scoops with pointed social commentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Absent Author: Juan Carlos I’s Memoir Launch

• The episode opens with the “countdown to Christmas” centered on the swirl of royal news, particularly the presentation of King Juan Carlos I’s memoir, which the monarch himself did not attend.

• Both Martín Bianchi and guest received the memoir, but with little interest in reading it.

  • [00:48] “No me lo he leído, me lo ha preguntado todo el mundo. Se supone que yo debería ser la primera persona que lo lee, pero la verdad que ahora mismo no me interesa.” – Co-host

• The launch took place in a Madrid art gallery, attended by some of the so-called “Borbón rebels” (Infanta Elena, María de Azurita, Simoneta Gómez Acebo) but not by the king himself or other high-profile royals.

• Noted the curious absence of popular figures like Bárbara Rey, Corinna, and Queen Sofía.

  • [03:33] “Podría haber ido Bárbara Rey. Podría haber ido Marta Gallá. Se me ocurren tantas... Corina podría haber venido de Londres.” – Co-host

• The king was instead spotted in Abu Dhabi at the Formula 1 Grand Prix, photographed with Carlos Sainz Jr., highlighting the trend of “royals and celebrities living in tax havens.”

2. The Ever-Present Question of Royal Returns

• Persistent rumors about Juan Carlos I returning to live near Zarzuela Palace in Madrid.

  • [05:06] “Parece ser que hay un amigo de él que le ha ofrecido una finca muy cerca de la Zarzuela para que él pueda vivir.” – Co-host

• Jokes around the concept of the king living in a “terrenito” or being gifted yet another property, reflecting on the king’s habit of relying on generous friends.

  • [05:47] “Recuerda que al rey Juan Carlos no le gusta poner dinero.” – Co-host

3. Inheritance & Renunciations: Palacetes in Menorca

• Recent news: Princesses Leonor and Sofía, now of age, have renounced their share of a Menorcan mansion inherited from Juan Ignacio Balada, an eccentric millionaire.

  • [06:31] “Ahora que Leonor y Sofía son mayores de edad, han renunciado a su parte de esta herencia que incluía un palacete en Menorca.” – Co-host

• If all heirs renounce, the property passes to the State of Israel as stipulated.

  • [07:03] “Si todos renuncian, va al Estado de Israel esto. Así que ya no sé qué es como truco.” – Martín Bianchi

• Ongoing speculation about whether other royal grandchildren, like the Urdangarín and Marichalar descendants, will renounce or keep their portions.

4. Next-Gen Royals: Princess Leonor Pilots a Plane

• Discussion on Princess Leonor’s recent milestone: taking her first instructional flight over the Mar Menor in a military Pilatus plane.

  • [07:55] “Ya va a los mandos de un avión que parece ser que ha sobrevolado el Mar Menor de Murcia a bordo de un Pilatus, lógicamente con un instructor.” – Co-host

• Light-hearted comments about the pressures and oddities of royal life training.

  • [08:12] “Las cosas que hay que hacer para poder ser rey de. Luego dicen que es fácil esto, pero yo no me monto en un Pilatus.” – Co-host

• Wishful banter about Leonor attending the Universidad Complutense or Autónoma de Barcelona.

  • [08:56] “Mi carta de los Reyes Magos solo les he pedido eso, que Leonor vaya a la cómplu...” – Co-host

5. Royal Expositions and Historical Connections

• Felipe VI and Queen Letizia open a major exhibit on Queen Victoria Eugenia, Felipe’s great-grandmother and the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England.

  • [09:45] “Mucho porque descubrimos cosas que no se sabían de Victoria Eugenia. Y ahí estuvieron Letizia y Felipe.” – Co-host

• The conversation traces the British-Spanish royal connection, including a legendary story about Ena and Franco’s choice of the Bourbon successor.

6. British Royal Gossip: Kate Middleton’s Jewels and Concerts

• Discussion of Kate Middleton donning the “tiara de rubíes indios,” usually reserved for queens, causing a buzz in the British press.

  • [11:12] “La princesa de Gales estrenó una tiara solo reservada para reinas, que era de la reina Victoria, que se llama la tiara de rubíes indios, que tiene 2600 diamantes...” – Co-host

• Amused speculation about royal family holiday events in Spain vs. England – “Imagine Leticia Sabater as the Borbón family’s festive guest.”

• The British royals' Together at Christmas concert, with guest Kate Winslet and the absence of Eugenia and Beatrice, again reflects how image and scandal shape royal public appearances.

7. Women’s Rights in Monarchies: The Japanese Case

• Timed with a conversation about Japan’s imperial family: Princess Aiko turns 24 but, under current laws, cannot become empress as succession is patrilineal.

  • [13:47] “Aiko, la hija del emperador Naruhito y de su esposa, la emperatriz Masako, conocida como la princesa triste, pues ha cumplido 24 años y está en un momento de máxima popularidad y hasta se está hablando en Japón de a ver si la hacemos emperatriz, que en este momento no se puede.” – Co-host

• The hosts critique both the Japanese and Spanish systems for their reluctance to modernize royal succession.

• Anecdotes about gender roles in Japanese society, comparing it skeptically with Spain.

8. Notable Humor & Memorable Moments

• [01:31] "¿Sabes lo que me apetece? Quedar con Pilar Eyre y que ella me haga un resumen." – Co-host
• [03:05] “Un espacio que se llama Montesquinza 36, que es una sala de exposiciones y de venta.” – Martín Bianchi
• [08:24] “Pero bueno, también con un piloto seguramente guapísimo, tipo Top Gun, tampoco está mal. Bueno, yo iría abrazado, abrazadísimo al piloto.” – Co-host
• [11:21] “La prensa británica estaba extasiada, porque claro, llevar una tiara de reinas siendo todavía princesa de Gales, imagínate, es toda una declaración de intenciones.” – Co-host
• [14:31] “En Japón he visto yo. Yo he flipado en Tokio, porque todo modernísimo, todo futuro, pero un señor tiene un cordón desatado y la mujer se agacha y le ata el cordón. Y eso lo he visto yo con mis ojos.” – Co-host

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:29–03:44] Presentation of Juan Carlos I’s memoir, the absent king, and “Borbón rebels”
• [03:44–06:12] Juan Carlos I’s location during the launch, fiscal residences, and rumors of his return to Madrid
• [06:12–07:31] Royal inheritance twists: renunciations and property destined for Israel
• [07:31–08:53] Princess Leonor’s flight lessons and universities
• [08:53–10:36] Exposition on Queen Victoria Eugenia; historical Anglo-Spanish royal ties
• [10:36–12:01] Kate Middleton’s tiara moment and royal differences in festive traditions
• [12:01–13:47] British royal holiday events, attendance gossip
• [13:47–15:28] Japanese imperial succession debate, gender roles, and modernity

Tone & Final Impressions

The episode is peppered with playful irreverence, cultural critique, and a distinctly Spanish sense of humor. The hosts blend sharp observations about royalty's social function with gossipy asides, exposing both the grandeur and the absurdity of aristocratic life across cultures.

Summary prepared for those who missed the episode or want to revisit the highlights of this season’s royal saga—with plenty of wit, skepticism, and a keen eye for social undercurrents.