Spain's King Juan Carlos turns 75

Spain's King Juan Carlos sat down for a rare television interview on Friday, the day before his 75th birthday.

In the interview, the king reflected on his country's economic woes.

"One of the things that is most concerning and is in the mind of many Spaniards is the lack of jobs that leads millions of families to be unable to live with dignity and forces young people to leave Spain to look for work," the monarch told Spanish national television station TVE, according to the BBC.

"It hurts me a lot," he added.

The interview comes after a difficult year for Juan Carlos and the Spanish royal family. The monarch was forced to issue a public apology last April after going on an elephant-hunting trip in Botswana at the height of Spain's financial crisis, while his son-in-law has been at the center of a corruption scandal.

The king was not asked about either subject during the interview, according to reports.

Juan Carlos also used the interview to remind Spaniards of his role in smoothing the country's transition to democracy, the BBC added.

"I would like to be remembered as the king who has united Spaniards, that with him democracy and the monarchy have been recovered," he said.