Spain’s King Juan Carlos retired from public life in 2019. The following year, all hell broke loose. Several stories about Juan Carlos came to a head, including his many financial crimes/shenanigans when he was on the throne. He was taking payoffs and bribes, he was politicizing his position, and he had a very talkative mistress. His son, now King Felipe, ended up cutting off his father’s retirement money from the state in March 2020. By the summer of 2020, King Juan Carlos went into exile, staying in various Middle Eastern hotels and palaces. The last time I paid attention to him, he was in a ritzy hotel suite in Abu Dhabi. There was a lot of talk about how the Spanish monarchy was in crisis, but since Juan Carlos left the country, the impression I’ve gotten (as an American) is that King Felipe and Queen Letizia steadied the ship, and they are seen as pretty stable, straight-arrow and relatively popular. Well, guess who’s coming back to Spain??

Former King of Spain Juan Carlos wants to return home and does not care about possibly damaging the Royal Family’s reputation by doing so, an expert has claimed. Juan Carlos, 83, who abdicated in 2014 in favour of his son Felipe VI, 53, has been living in Abu Dhabi since summer 2020 after becoming the target of several probes in Spain over his financial dealings. However, the elderly royal is reportedly hoping to see out his final years home, despite a majority of the Spanish public opposing his return.

Speaking to The Times, Pablo Simon, a professor of political science at Carlos III University in Madrid, explained Juan Carlos ‘does not care’ whether his actions damage his son and his family. He added the monarch believes he has ‘done his part’ for Spain by playing an instrumental role in re-establishing democracy after the death of General Franco in 1975.

‘He’s indifferent to the possible damage he’s doing to the monarchy because he believes he’s done his part,’ Professor Simon said. ‘Knowing that he’s only got a few years of life left, he simply doesn’t care.’

In December, it was reported Juan Carlos had demanded to move back to Zarzuela Palace, the Spanish royal family’s residence in Madrid. However a readers’ poll conduction by the Spanish publication 20 Minutos showed 42 per cent of people did not believe he should come back to Spain. Some 35 per cent were in favour of the royal’s return. In spite of this, the former king still plans to make his move to Spain in the coming year.

Juan Carlos is facing three separate criminal probes in Spain. One is related to the use of credit cards linked to foreign accounts after his June 2014 abdication when he lost his constitutional protection against prosecution as a serving monarch.

[From The Daily Mail]

Not to be morbid, but I kind of wonder if this is more of a “he wants to come home to die in his own country” situation. It does not seem like he’s in good health, and the whole “he doesn’t care if it ruins the monarchy” thing gives me “go out in a blaze of glory” vibes. I actually do believe that if Juan Carlos is in poor health, they should let him come back to Spain and live out his last days among his people and his family, polling be damned. Of course, there’s the expectation that Juan Carlos wouldn’t do anything to hurt his son’s popularity or the state of Spain’s monarchy, but again, I don’t think he really cares.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

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By: Kaiser
Title: King Juan Carlos is tired of living in exile, he wants to come back to Spain
Sourced From: www.celebitchy.com/748153/king_juan_carlos_is_tired_of_living_in_exile_he_wants_to_come_back_to_spain/
Published Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2022 12:10:28 +0000

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