Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S ex-monarch, Juan Carlos, has cancelled this weekend’s return to the country for a regatta in Galicia.
84-year-old Juan Carlos dominated the headlines last month by returning for the first time since going into self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi in August 2020 amidst corruption and personal scandals.
The former king attended Sanxenxo regatta before meeting his son, King Felipe, in Madrid, amidst ‘wall-to-wall’ media coverage
Juan Carlos said he planned to return this weekend to defend a world title at the same venue.
Madrid-based friends and ex-palace advisers allegedly warned him off it, resulting in a change of mind.
They said his presence in June caused a ‘media circus’ which was damaging to the current monarch, his son Felipe.
He’s been advised that a second visit should be ‘more discreet’ to avoid a media spectacle.
Reports say that Juan Carlos cancelled this week’s trip for ‘strictly private reasons’.
The Emeritus King was once one of Spain´s most respected public figures for his role in the country´s return to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.
But scandals involving the royal family began to mount in the later years of his reign, leading Juan Carlos to abdicate in 2014 in favour of his son, Felipe.
Juan Carlos quit Spain in 2020 as Spanish and Swiss prosecutors investigated his involvement in alleged financial wrongdoings.
Spanish prosecutors had to shelve their case after concluding that the alleged misbehaviour, involving millions of euros in undeclared accounts, happened when Juan Carlos had legal immunity as Spain´s king.
His behaviour is widely considered in Spain as a public embarrassment that has tarnished the crown.
Felipe renounced his inheritance from Juan Carlos and stripped him of his state-provided subsidy in 2020 in a groundbreaking move to distance himself from his father.
Juan Carlos still faces possible legal trouble in the UK, where a former lover who was allegedly involved in his financial dealings has accused him of hiring people to spy on her.
READ MORE:
- Hugs and explanations? Spain’s former King Juan Carlos returns to exile in Abu Dhabi after meeting with son King…
- IN PICS: Touching moment King Juan Carlos hugs grandson after handball match during return visit to Spain
- IN PICS: Hundreds protest against return of Spain’s disgraced ex-King Juan Carlos in Madrid
- Ex-King Juan Carlos welcomed by cheering crowds on return to Spain following two-year exile
