The former king of Spain, Juan Carlos, was received today by his son, the king Philip VIcompleting his first, controversial visit to Spain almost two years after he exiled himself to the United Arab Emirates.
Juan Carlos, who had left for Abu Dhabi in August 2020 amid allegations of irregularities, arrived shortly after 11:00 a.m. (Greek time) at Tartuela Palace, the official residence of the King of Spain, according to with a journalist of the French Agency.
The former king was to see in the palace his son, King Philip, and his wife, Queen Sophia, with whom Juan Carlos has long been at odds. He will then leave tonight for Abu Dhabi.
This brief visit to Spain by Juan Carlos, who arrived by private plane on Thursday night in Galicia (northwestern Spain) to attend a sailing regatta, takes place after the Spanish justice filed in March investigations into allegations of corruption and money laundering.
The prosecution had said he could not prosecute him “for lack of evidence, statute of limitations and immunity” which he enjoyed as head of state until 2014. However, he had pointed out the “tax irregularities” of the former king. .
But revelations about the dark origins of his fortune have now tarnished, for much of Spanish public opinion, the image of this man who has been praised for decades for securing Spain’s transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.
“Juan Carlos missed an opportunity to explain and apologize during this visit of a few days,” left-wing government spokeswoman Isabel Rodriguez told RNE radio today.
Over the weekend in coastal Sanchez, Galicia, Juan Carlos had given a dry answer, “explanations for what?”, When reporters asked him if he intended to explain his behavior to his son.
In an effort to improve the image of the Spanish monarchy after his accession to the throne in 2014, Philip VI distanced himself from his father. So he decided in March 2020 to deduct his annual allowance of almost 200,000 euros.
More recently, in late April, a “transparency operation” was launched with the government for the palaces, under which the accounts of the palaces will be audited, the contracts concluded will be made public and there will be a list in which the gifts will be recorded. accepted by the royal family.
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