The Spanish think of Britain as an uncomfortable partner, but they did not expect things to end like this

Shock, a certain sadness, but some understanding: Spaniards, among the most pro-EU peoples on the continent (according to a 2015 poll, 75 per cent of Spaniards are proud Remainers), generally see Brexit as an understandable but nevertheless damaging mistake.

The referendum result came as a shock to many of us, including those who didn’t trust the opinion polls. Juan Moreno, 25, an MA student in Madrid, says: “I had a healthy dose of scepticism about all the polls and surveys and was aware that Brexit could happen. Even so, I was convinced it wouldn’t, and was astonished when I opened my phone the next morning and saw the result.”