Spanish royal family, The marchers thronged Puerta del Sol, a central square in Madrid, on the 82nd anniversary of the establishment of Spain's last democratically-elected republic, which was overthrown by an army uprising that led to a civil war and the 36-year military dictatorship of Gen Francisco Franco.
Franco appointed then Prince Juan Carlos as his successor as head of state, a job the royal took over as king upon the dictator's death in 1975.
The monarchy's popularity has slumped in recent months, with the 75-year-old king being criticised for going on a luxurious safari during Spain's financial crisis and a corruption scandal with links to royal family members.
"This monarchy was imposed on us by the dictatorship, therefore we consider it to be illegal," 45-year-old teacher Maria Ayuso said. "Also, we consider it anachronistic to have a non-elected head of state; it's not democratic."
For decades, the king was largely admired for having shepherded Spain from dictatorship to a modern democracy, with many citing his role in adroitly getting the participants in an attempted military coup in February 1981 to stand down peacefully as a highlight in his career.
Things began to go awry when he broke his hip while on a previously unannounced elephant hunting trip in Botswana even though it was widely known he was president of the Spanish branch of the World Wildlife Fund. The king had to be flown back to Spain aboard a private jet for hospital treatment.
In an unprecedented act of royal contrition, Juan Carlos apologised. The royal family's reputation suffered a further blow when the king's daughter, Princess Cristina, was named as an official suspect in an alleged plot to embezzle public money.
The investigation centres on whether the 47-year-old princess' husband, Inaki Urdangarin, and his former business partner took advantage with her knowledge of their royal connections to funnel about 5 million euros in public funds, using companies and an
Princess Cristina's court summons is a first for a member of the king's immediate family.
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