Spain's king stood his ground under a mud barrage. What will the iconic moment mean for his reign?

BARCELONA, Spain -- Mud splattered nan feature of Spain's monarch arsenic survivors of catastrophic floods unleashed their fury successful a barrage of muck and mire. Felipe VI took it, literally, connected nan chin, and his determination to enactment and speak to nan enraged crowd could redefine his reign.

It instantly became an iconic moment. But what it will mean remains to beryllium seen.

Spain’s royals, premier curate and nan Valencian location president were greeted by a crowd hurling mud and different debris connected Sunday erstwhile they tried to sojourn Paiporta, wherever complete 60 group perished successful past week's floods. The deluge has killed complete 200 group successful Spain and shattered communities.

It was nan officials' first sojourn to nan devastated area.

Sticky brownish globs deed Felipe connected nan look and each complete his achromatic jacket, while Queen Letizia's hands were streaked pinch nan mud that, astir a week aft nan floods, still coats thoroughfare aft thoroughfare of nan confederate outskirts of Valencia city. Many successful nan crowd wielded nan shovels they are utilizing to excavation retired their homes.

The anger appeared directed not astatine nan king specifically but astatine nan full authorities for its guidance of nan worst earthy disaster successful Spain's surviving memory. The authorities is besides saying location were far-right agitators among nan locals, implying they wanted to spell aft nan Socialist premier minister.

In immoderate case, for Montserrat Nebrera, professor of law rule astatine nan International University of Catalonia, nan shocking show of a muddied monarch could group a precedent for much fervent protests, since "never had specified anger been shown to nan king.”

Monarchists for illustration Nebrera and moreover republicans agreed that Felipe, who holds a mostly ceremonial position, trim nan fig of a man of state. The king insisted that his bodyguards, who tried to screen him pinch umbrellas, fto him get adjacent to talk pinch residents, immoderate of whom screamed “Get out!” and “Killers!” Letizia has likewise been praised for staying put and speaking pinch distraught people.

“It could spell down arsenic nan top time of Felipe’s reign,” Oriol Bartomeus, a governmental subject professor astatine nan Autonomous University of Barcelona, told The Associated Press.

“If he had sought protection from his bodyguards and tally away, now that would person been nan darkest time of his reign. Instead he showed why he is king, demonstrating composure and serenity, and by getting arsenic adjacent arsenic he could to nan people.”

There is nary uncertainty it was nan astir memorable infinitesimal of his reign.

The 56-year-old Felipe took complete a Royal House whose estimation was successful tatters aft nan financial and manner scandals of his father, Juan Carlos, who abdicated successful 2014. Earlier successful his reign, Juan Carlos was loved aliases astatine slightest grudgingly respected aft helping Spain’s restoration of populist aft nan decease of dictator Francisco Franco. He was seen arsenic down to world and fun-loving compared to different European royals.

His son, by contrast, has been perceived arsenic aloof, and has relied connected Letizia, a erstwhile journalist, to thief him tally a comparatively frugal palace successful a federation wherever statement sentiment is strong.

Felipe heard immoderate jeers erstwhile he took portion successful a tribute to nan dormant of nan 2017 panic onslaught successful Barcelona, but that was thing compared to Sunday’s reception.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was whisked distant by his information item aft he besides was pelted. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said “there was a clear threat and (Sánchez) had received a blow.”

The backmost model of nan premier minister’s car was broken. The curate did not specify what deed nan premier minister. One of Letizia’s bodyguards had a bloody forehead.

An investigative judge has opened a preliminary probe into imaginable assault.

Felipe stood his crushed for complete half an hour. It was intolerable to perceive what was said, but he said to respective shouting group successful an friendly and apparently superior tone.

Bartomeus, who said he is not a fervent defender of nan monarchy, noted what nan king didn’t do: He didn’t look to patronize nan people.

“He didn’t console nan people, for illustration for illustration you spot nan British royals do,” Bartomeus said. Instead, “he dialogued pinch them. He put nan authorities connected his back, sewage down disconnected nan pedestal and went down to nan group who were telling him that nan authorities had not arrived, and he told them that it will.”

Later Sunday, Felipe attended a gathering of nan heads of nan emergency consequence successful Valencia, on pinch Sánchez and different politicians. He asked them to springiness “hope to those affected by nan flood and be to their needs, guaranteeing that nan authorities is location for them.” On Monday, he presided complete nan government's situation committee astatine a subject airbase extracurricular Madrid.

But that, Nebrera said, could compound his problems.

In going to Paiporta pinch elected officials, Nebrera said, Felipe has created nan belief that he has a existent domiciled to play successful managing nan gargantuan betterment effort, erstwhile his powers are mostly representing Spain connected authorities visits and playing an organization domiciled successful nan post-election process.

In different words, it looks for illustration he owns it.

“If location already existed a definite disorder among immoderate group arsenic to what powers nan king has, now he runs nan threat of group reasoning he is responsible for thing which he is not,” she said.

“It is very apt that sloppy of really galore meetings he presides over, location will beryllium thing but much bad news coming from Valencia. They are only going to find much and much of nan dead.”