King Juan Carlos is abdicating in favour of his son, Crown Prince Felipe (Gerard Julien/ Getty)
'I do not want my son to wither waiting like Prince Charles,' he reportedly told Rafael Spottorno, chief of the royal household, according to a report in Spain's daily El Mundo newspaper on Sunday.
The private secretary admitted that it had been a decision under consideration by the king since his 75th birthday in January, 2013.
'He saw, above all, that his son was in his prime and didn't want to see him like Prince Charles who will be 66 years old in November,' the newspaper quoted Mr Spottorno as saying.
A spokesman at Zarzuela Palace on Sunday morning said: 'We are not commenting on articles that have appeared in the press.'
Since the abdication was announced, Spain has seen a wave of protests calling for a referendum on the future of the monarchy.
Thousands gathered to hold street demonstrations on Monday evening and again on Saturday to express their republican fervour.
According to a poll published in Spain's left-leaning El Pais newspaper on Sunday the majority of Spaniards - 62 per cent - believe a referendum should be held 'at some point' on whether Spain should continue to have a monarchy.
If a referendum were to be held, the poll found 49 per cent would prefer to have a monarchy with Felipe as king while 36 per cent would support a republic.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has already outright rejected calls for a referendum on the monarchy.
The ceremony to crown King Felipe VI is expected to take place on June 19 following a vote in Spain's parliament to approve the abdication.
Posted by Unknown on Sunday, June 8, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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