Juan Carlos Has Fled Spain, But Questions Over His Past Will Follow Him

THE GUARDIAN: The immunity once afforded the former Spanish king won’t protect him any more against allegations of graft and fraud

For the past century and a half, job security has not been part of the Spanish monarchy’s experience. When former king Juan Carlos announced that he was packing his bags and heading into a form of exile on Monday, he was really following a family tradition.

No one would be more aware of that than 82-year-old Juan Carlos himself, who was born in exile and – reportedly – in relative impecunity (by royal standards) after his grandfather Alfonso XIII fled the country in the face of popular revolt in 1931.

It took General Francisco Franco, who came to power with the help of Hitler and Mussolini after turning a failed coup into the Spanish civil war in 1936, to restore the monarchy. But this only came after a vengeful Franco had himself ruled with absolute power, while violently suppressing democrats and making liberal use of death sentences, for almost four decades.

To secure the restoration, Juan Carlos had first to suck up to Franco, agree that the proper heir to the crown (his own father, Don Juan) should be leapfrogged, and then wait patiently for the dictator to die. When that finally happened in 1975, Juan Carlos received a dictator’s powers – and refused to criticise his predecessor as head of state. » | Giles Tremlett | Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Spain Puzzles over Ex-King Juan Carlos's Whereabouts – BBC News

Former Spanish King Juan Carlos 'Leaves Spain' amid Corruption Investigations | DW News

Spain's former king Juan Carlos has left the country amid allegations of corruption. There are reports he is in the Dominican Republic, though no official announcement has been made. Prosecutors have long been investigating Juan Carlos. The longtime monarch is facing accusations he took a kickback from Saudi Arabia when Spanish companies won a contract to build a railway between Mecca and Medina. The King's former lover - Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein - is suspected to have received the bribe money.

Ex-King Juan Carlos Leaves Spain amid Corruption Allegations

Spain's former king Juan Carlos has left the country as criminal prosecutors investigate allegations of corruption. He has been accused of receiving a $100m gift from the late Saudi king for backing a high-speed rail contract. The move has reignited debate about the role of the monarchy in Spain.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Juan Carlos, Spain’s Former King, Quits Country Amid Multiple Investigations »

Spain Moves to Protect Juan Carlos from Paternity Suits

Juan Carlos lost his immunity from prosecution when he passed
the throne on to his son, Felipe

BBC: Spain's politicians admitted Friday that they are rushing to pass new legislation to shield former King Juan Carlos from two paternity suits.

Juan Carlos, 76, lost his immunity from prosecution after handing power to his son, Felipe, following a 39-year reign.

A senior politician said amendments would be added to a package of judicial reforms so that only Spain's Supreme Court can hear cases against him.

Two separate paternity suits were filed against Juan Carlos in 2012.

Alberto Sola Jimenez from Spain's Catalonia region and Ingrid Jeanne Satiau, a Belgian national, both claim to be the former king's children.

His legal immunity meant that the suits were not processed at the time but the cases could now be brought again in ordinary courts. » | Friday, June 20, 2014

Inside Story: What Future for the Monarchy in Spain?

Thousands want the monarchy abolished and the return of a republic after King's abdication.

Spanish Royal Family's Popularity Boosted by King Juan Carlos's Abdication in Favour of Prince Felipe

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Approval ratings for King Juan Carlos's reign increase from 41 to 65 per cent following his abdication to hand the throne to 46-year-old heir Prince Felipe


Spains royal family has become more popular among Spainiards following the abdication of Juan Carlos for his son Crown King Felipe VI.

Overall, 55.7 per cent of those polled in the June 3-5 survey by Sigma Dos supported the institution of the monarchy in Spain, up from 49.9 per cent when the same question was posed six months ago.

57.5 per cent believed the prince could restore the royal family’s lost prestige.

An overwhelming majority of Spaniards believe the new king, Felipe VI, would make a good monarch and more than three-quarters believe King Juan Carlos was right to hand over the throne to his son.

The poll, published in Spain’s right-leaning daily El Mundo newspaper on Monday, is likely to encourage the departing King, who announced a week ago that he hoped the change would usher in a “new era of hope”. » | Fiona Govan | Monday, June 09, 2014

King Juan Carlos: 'I Don't Want My Son to Grow Old Waiting Like Prince Charles'

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Spanish monarch reportedly expressed a desire to hand the throne to heir while Prince Felipe was still a young man to stop him "withering" like Prince Charles

King Juan Carlos told courtiers that he wanted to abdicate in favour of his son because he did not want his heir to “grow old waiting for the throne like Prince Charles”.

The 76-year-old monarch, who announced last Monday that it was time for “a younger generation to step into the front line,” is said to have been influenced in his decision to abdicate by the situation of the Prince of Wales, who at 65 is the oldest heir to the British throne for 300 years.

It emerged on Sunday that King Juan Carlos had privately told those close to him that he felt it was right to pass the throne on while his heir was still a young man.

“I do not want my son to wither waiting like Prince Charles,” he reportedly told Rafael Spottorno, chief of the royal household, according to a report in Spain’s daily El Mundo newspaper. » | Fiona Govan, Madrid and Matthew Holehouse | Sunday, June 08, 2014

Spain's King Juan Carlos to Abdicate

Spain's King Juan Carlos delivers a speech to explain
the reasons for his abdication

THE GUARDIAN: Monarch says he is proud of country's transition to democracy but son Felipe has the maturity to 'open a new era of hope'

After 39 years on the throne, King Juan Carlos of Spain will abdicate in favour of his son Crown Prince Felipe, the king said in a televised address on Monday.

Hours after the prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, broke the news, the king explained his decision on Spanish television and radio. He highlighted his pride in the "transformation of Spain" and the "tremendous amount achieved by all" since the country's transition into democracy.

"Today, when I look back, I cannot help but feel pride and gratitude towards all of you," he said.

The decision to step down, he said, was made after his 76th birthday in January. His son Felipe, he assured Spaniards, "has the maturity, preparation, and sense of responsibility necessary to assume the title of head of state and open a new era of hope which combines the experience and momentum of a new generation." Read on and comment » | Ashifa Kassam | Monday, June 02, 2014

Health Scare Sparks King 'Abdication' Rumours

THE LOCAL (SPAIN): Spain's Royal Palace announced on Friday King Juan Carlos will have hip surgery, but not before the rumour started circulating that the 75-year-old monarch was about to abdicate because of ill health.

The health of Spain's monarch was the subject of much debate in Friday, the Spanish edition of the Huffington Post reported.

Early in the day, the palace had scheduled a news conference for 6pm to give details on the status of the King's health.

In the intervening period, the country's El Confidencial reported the King would soon be travelling to the United States for specialist advice regarding pain in his left hip.

That story was also reported by Catalonia's La Vanguardia newspaper while the news site Vox Populi said the King would have surgery in the US, but not for an operation on his hip.

Alongside the media speculation, Twitter messages flew about hinting at a possible abdication of the Spanish Head of State.

"There's a rumour that the Royal Family will announce the abdication of King Juan Carlos at 6pm. If it's true we will have to thank him for his great service to Spain," tweeted Juan Gomez. » | The Local/AFP | Friday, September 20, 2013

Queen Sofia Wins Apology from Online Adultery Agency
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Queen Sofia of Spain has won an apology from an online dating agency for adulterers after it used her image in an advertising campaign mocking the King's rumoured indiscretions.


The 74-year old Greek-born spouse of King Juan Carlos took legal action against US-based agency Ashley Madison for "damage to her honour and dignity" after it used a photograph of her in a series of adverts last year.

The company, which specialises in connecting people looking for extra-marital affairs, has issued a personal apology to Queen Sofia and promised never to use her image in its marketing campaigns.

The offending advertisements contained a doctored image of the smiling Queen draped around the bare shoulders of a much younger man, beneath the slogan in Spanish: "You no longer have to spend the night alone".

Published first in February 2012 and then again last October, it apparently refered to widespread allegations that King Juan Carlos had conducted numerous affairs during their 50-year marriage.

An explosive biography of Queen Sofia, written by Pilar Eyre, called "The Solitude of the Queen" was published in January 2012. It detailed her long-standing suffering as the wife of serial womanizer. » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Wednesday, April 17, 2013

King of Spain Is Now 'Less Popular Than Tax Inspectors'

THE INDEPENDENT: King Juan Carlos is now less popular among his subjects than Spain’s tax inspectors, according to a poll in El Pais.

The King’s standing has plummeted as his family has been drawn into a corruption and money-laundering scandal linked to his son-in-law, the Duke of Palma, yet the survey was conducted before his youngest daughter, Cristina, received a court summons last week in connection with the case. » | Alasdair Fotheringham | Madrid | Sunday, April 07, 2013

Spanish Royal Family in Fresh Embarrassment over Role of Blonde Aristocrat

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Spain’s royal family face fresh embarrassment today with the publication of details of the controversial elephant hunting trip taken by King Juan Carlos last month and the mysterious role of the blonde aristocrat who accompanied him.

Corinna zu Sayn Wittgenstein appears on the cover of the June edition of Spain’s Vanity Fair magazine alongside claims that she has been the King’s unofficial companion on numerous private trips abroad, including the ill-fated Botswana safari in April which caused outrage in Spain.

The twice-divorced Princess Corinna, 46, who was born in Germany and claims her title through her second husband, has reportedly fled Spain amid intense media speculation over the nature of her role within the Spanish monarchy.

“She has told me that the King is her friend and a great guy whom she admires. Nothing more, because if anything characterises her, it is discretion and loyalty,” said Princess Corinna’s first husband, Philip J Adkin, an American shipping magnate who confirmed he had also been a member of the hunting party in Botswana.

The hunting trip became public knowledge after the 74-year old monarch fractured his hip in a fall in camp and was rushed back to Madrid for surgery. News of the King’s luxurious lifestyle shooting endangered animals while ordinary Spaniards suffered deep economic strife was met with public outcry and led to calls for his abdication.

The episode has been marked by an end to the taboo on publishing royal secrets in a nation that has traditionally afforded the Royal family the utmost privacy and respect. » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Thursday, May 17, 2012

Related »

Spain's King and Queen Will Not Celebrate Golden Wedding Anniversary

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Spain's royal court has confirmed that King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia will not hold any private or public celebrations of their Golden Wedding anniversary in a development that appears to confirm an estrangement in the relationship.

When King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia celebrated their silver wedding anniversary on May 14, 1987 they hosted a lavish reception at the Royal Palace inviting 25 other couples from across Spain who married on the same day.

But their golden wedding anniversary which falls next Monday will be marked with no such celebration.

The lack of a formal celebration has done much to fuel speculation over the state of the 74-year-old Monarch's marriage.

The last bout of speculation began when King Juan Carlos fractured his hip during an ill-fated safari trip to Botswana to hunt elephants.

Amid the public outcry over the nature and expense of the private trip, which led to an unprecedented apology by the shame faced monarch issued on the steps of the hospital, it was noted that Queen Sofia had paid only a brief visit to his bedside.

Royal commentators were quick to remark that the 26-minute bedside visit by Queen Sofia, who had not been on the hunting trip but visiting her Greek relatives, hinted at the deep breakdown in their relationship.

"The failure of his marriage to Queen Sofia, from whom he is practically separated, is public knowledge," wrote Jose Antonio Zarzalejos, a royal commentator and the former director of respected daily ABC. » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Related »

Skandal Royal: Juan Carlos – Brudermord?
König Juan Carlos von Spanien ist einer der beliebtesten Monarchen der Gegenwart. Nur wenige wissen von einem tragischen Geheimnis aus seiner Kindheit. Am 29. März 1956 starb sein Bruder Alfonso im Alter von 15 Jahren an den Folgen einer Schussverletzung am Kopf. Offiziell war von einem Unfall die Rede. Alfonso hätte sich beim Waffenreinigen unabsichtlich umgebracht. Ein Band der Stille legte sich über diesen Tod - bis zum 17. April 1956. An diesem Tag veröffentlichte eine italienische Zeitung eine schockierende Nachricht: Die offizielle Erklärung der spanischen Botschaft sei gelogen. Die italienische Presse druckte eine andere Version: Juan Carlos soll abgedrückt und seinen Bruder mit einem Kopfschuss getötet haben.
Das Video hier abspielen | Sonntag, 22. April 2012

Spanish Royalty in Crisis after King's Antics

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The Spanish royal family is in the middle of its worst crisis in years following a series of scandals, including the revelation that King Juan Carlos went on an extravagant trip to Africa despite the recession. Many people in Spain are now asking tough questions about the role of the monarchy.

How does a king who has gone astray apologize to his people? With a contrite expression on the television news and an ostentatious show of humility. "I'm sorry. I was wrong and it won't happen again," the 74-year-old Juan Carlos assured Spaniards in a brief televised statement last Wednesday, looking like a boy whose mother had just caught him committing a prank.

"An unprecedented gesture," a columnist with the Madrid daily El País called the royal words. The people had learned that the king had been hunting elephants in Botswana, because he had broken his hip at night and had to be flown home for surgery. As Spanish citizens learned from the papers, he had reportedly been the guest of a Saudi Arabian magnate, and was accompanied by a German woman, a member of the aristocracy who is said to be very close to him.

The photos of the big game hunter on cover pages, holding his gun as he stood in front of a gray corpse and an ivory hunting trophy, even annoyed Spain's royalists. He was on a luxury safari (at an estimated cost of more than €40,000, or $52,000) at precisely a time when the financial markets are demanding higher and higher risk premiums on Spanish government bonds. It's also a time at which conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy feels compelled to beef up his €27 billion austerity package with another €10 billion in budget cuts to education and healthcare. To make matters worse, the Spanish oil company Repsol is effectively being expropriated in Argentina. In other words, while their head of state was enjoying himself in Africa, his subjects were experiencing one of the worst weeks of the year.

The king's apology represents a sea change. Shouldn't such a weak man have to abdicate? How will the monarchy continue? These are questions that are being discussed in blogs and on talk shows, while newspaper columnists are publicly debating an institution that was considered sacrosanct until recently. » | Helene Zuber | Monday, April 23, 2012

Spain's King Left with Black Eye after Walking into a Door

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: King Juan Carlos of Spain appeared in public sporting a black eye after “walking into a door” at his royal residence.

The 73-year-old monarch was pictured with the shiner on his left eye and a small sticking plaster on the bridge of his nose at a reception for new ambassadors to Spain on Tuesday.

Royal aides said the King had received the injuries earlier in the day but they were not serious enough to alter his schedule.

The King himself commented on the mishap: “This is what happens when one slams into a door,” he said.

Spanish media reported that the accident was in fact the fault of a member of the palace staff, who pushed open the door at the moment the King was opening it from the other side.

“It was an accident and his job is not in danger” said a source at Zarzuela Palace. » | Fiona Govan | Wednesday, November 23, 2011

King of Spain Undergoes Knee Surgery

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Spain's King Juan Carlos on Friday underwent his second major surgical procedure in a little over a year, just days after he accused Spanish media of wanting to see him dead.

The 73-year old monarch was said to be recovering well at a Madrid hospital after undergoing an operation to replace his right knee joint.

The 90 minute procedure to insert an artificial knee was carried out to alleviate pain from old sporting injuries suffered during his younger years as a keen sailor and skier.

There has been frenzied speculation over the state of the monarch's health since he was admitted to hospital in May last year to have a tumour removed from his lung.

After unfavourable headlines when appeared recently at an official function walking with the aid of the cane, the King admonished the usually respectful media for their obsession with his health.

Asked during a press call how he was feeling he snapped: "Terrible, terrible, terrible, can't you see that?"

Then added: "What you like to do is kill me and have me in a coffin every day. This is what you do in the press." » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Friday, June 03, 2011

Michelle Obama Meets Spain’s King
First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughter Sasha were greeted by Spain’s King Juan Carlos on Sunday on the resort island of Mallorca. Photograph: The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: PALMA DE MALLORCA, Spain (AP) -- U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha had lunch with Spain's king and queen on Sunday at the royal family's holiday retreat on the resort island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean.

Mrs. Obama and her daughter arrived at Marivent palace shortly before 1 p.m. and were greeted at the front door of the residence by King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia and Princess Letizia.

The king, a keen yachtsman, has for decades spent August vacations at the palace with its dramatic cliff-top views of the sea on the Balearic island's southwestern coast near Palma de Mallorca.

Lunch was Andalusian-style chilled gazpacho soup, chargrilled turbot, veal escalopes with mustard, Oriental rice with sauteed mushrooms, a Mallorca-style vegetable ratatouille and sliced fruit with ice cream, accompanied by wines from the northern regions of Rueda and Rioja, the palace said. >>> The Associated Press | Sunday, August 08, 2010

Juan Carlos, opéré avec succès d'une lésion sans cellule maligne, se porte bien
LE POINT: Le roi d'Espagne Juan Carlos, pilier de la jeune démocratie espagnole, a été opéré samedi à Barcelone d'un nodule pulmonaire bénin "sans aucune cellule maligne", à l'âge de 72 ans, et "se porte très bien" après l'intervention, ont indiqué ses médecins.

L'intervention qui a pris fin vers 11H45 (09h45 GMT) a permis d'extirper un nodule pulmonaire de type bénin, a déclaré en conférence de presse le chirurgien de l'hôpital clinique de Barcelone Laureano Molins.

Une première analyse du nodule pulmonaire extirpé dans la matinée, a montré qu'"il n'y a aucune cellule maligne" de type cancéreux, a-t-il ajouté.

Le souverain espagnol, âgé de 72 ans, "est éveillé et se porte très bien", a souligné le médecin, précisant qu'a priori aucun traitement post-opératoire ne serait nécessaire. >>> AFP | Samedi 08 Mai 2010

King Juan Carlos of Spain Recovering from Surgery
THE TELEGRAPH: King Juan Carlos of Spain is recovering from surgery to remove a growth from a lung, the Royal Palace said.

The palace said the 72-year-old monarch was successfully operated on in a hospital in the northeastern city of Barcelona.

Surgery was directed by doctor Laureano Molins Lopez-Rodo.

"It's good news, the lesion is benign," Dr Molins said at a post-operation press conference, adding that there were "no malign cells" in tissue removed from the upper part of the king's right lung.

Queen Sofia told journalists gathered at the hospital in the afternoon that doctors had said the king could be given the all clear to go home in four days.

"He has very impressive health," she said, smiling. >>> | Saturday, May 08, 2010