Miguel Primo de Rivera y Urquijo

He was the grandson of Miguel Primo de Rivera, a dictator who ruled Spain from 1923 to 1930. His father Fernando (1908-1936) was the youngest brother of José Antonio Primo de Rivera, the founder and leader of Falange Española. He attended school with future king Juan Carlos I of Spain. It was in their school years that they became life-long friends.

Because of his friendship with then-prince Juan Carlos and his commitment to the restoration of the monarchy after General Franco's death, he lobbied inside the Francoist institutions, as instructed by the newly proclaimed king, to produce a candidate for Prime Minister, namely Adolfo Suárez, who was prepared to implement democratic reform. He was then tasked with presenting the Political Reform Bill to the Francoist Cortes (parliament). His role was instrumental in that the new law made possible the new democratic reforms that would culminate in the Spanish Constitution of 1978. He worked behind the scenes to ensure the support of some reluctant members of the Cortes, most notably his own aunt, Pilar Primo de Rivera, the leader of the regime's Women's Organization, who had been a stalwart of Franco's regime. [2] He was made a Senator by royal appointment in 1977.[3]