 In a 2008 biography , Queen Sofia of Spain revealed that she preferred the term " civil union " to " marriage " for committed same @-@ gender relationships . This and other alleged comments by the queen opened the Spanish monarchy to rare criticism in 2008 , with the Zarzuela palace issuing an apology on behalf of the queen for the " inexact " quotes attributed to her . Antonio Poveda , president of FELGT , said his organization accepted the queen 's apology , but added that there remains ill feelings by the gay community towards the queen over the comments . King Juan Carlos , known to be far more liberal than his wife , was reportedly incensed by the biography , with reporters stating the king will fire palace officials who allegedly approved official royal endorsement of the book . 
