Spanish monarch Juan Carlos has abdicated

The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, announced at 10:33 am Spanish time that King of Juan Carlos of Spain has abdicated.

The Spanish government will hold an extraordinary cabinet meeting tomorrow Tuesday to organise the details and formalities of proclaiming Prince Felipe king.

King Juan Carlos, who is 76, has ruled since 1975. His son Prince Felipe, 45, will take over the throne.

For much of his reign, Juan Carlos was seen as one of the world's most popular monarchs.

But recently many Spaniards have lost confidence in him, mainly because of a long-running corruption investigation into his daughter and her husband on tax fraud.

A member of a royal line that stretches back to Louis XIV of France, Juan Carlos I was born in in Rome, where his family was in exile after his grandfather, King Alfonso XIII, was forced to leave Spain when the Republic was declared in 1931.

At age 10 Juan Carlos began attending school in Spain with the blessing of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. Juan Carlos went to military colleges, becoming an accomplished sailor and pilot, while developing a close relationship with Franco.

After Franco's death in 1975, Juan Carlos was proclaimed king and was expected to continue Franco's dictatorial, military-friendly policies. Instead he surprised the nation by supporting a transition to a modern parliamentary democracy, with himself continuing in the role of monarch and head of state.

He strengthened his position in 1981, when he put down an attempted military coup by appearing on TV and ordering troops back to their bases. Since then he has remained one of Europe's most popular monarchs. He is known especially for his physical vigor and his love of sports including skiing, karate, and motorcycle racing. He also competed in sailing at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

Juan Carlos married Princess Sofia, the eldest daughter of King Paul I and Queen Federica of Greece, on 14 May 1962. They have three children: Elena (born 1963), Cristina (b. 1965) and Felipe (b. 1968).