 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.
