king juan carlos i and his wife, queen sofía, have lived in the palace since their marriage in may 1962. after the death of "generalísimo" francisco franco in november 1975, the king decided not to occupy his palace of el pardo, leaving it for foreign state guests, designating the palacio de la moncloa as the residence of the president of the spanish government, while they remained at the zarzuela. the "palacio real" (royal palace) in the centre of madrid, the former principal residence of the spanish monarchs, is the official residence of the king, although it is now used only for state occasions.