Juan Carlos I met his family in Madrid for the first time in two years and had a long conversation with son Felipe VI. guided.
The Spanish former king Juan Carlos I (84) has been living in exile in Abu Dhabi since 2020. For the first time in two years he had returned to Madrid. The palace said in a statement quoted by People magazine that King Felipe VI. (54) and his father met for a “long talk”. Accordingly, the two “talked about family matters and various events and their impact on Spanish society”.
As the “People” magazine further reports, Juan Carlos I. is said to have had lunch with several family members on Monday, including his wife Sophia (83). In the afternoon he then traveled back to Abu Dhabi. According to “People”, he only spent twelve hours in the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. According to media reports, Juan Carlos arrived in Spain on Thursday evening.
Why is Juan Carlos I living in exile?
In June 2020, the Spanish Supreme Court opened a corruption investigation against Juan Carlos I. As a result, in August, the palace announced that the 84-year-old no longer lives in Spain. In early March 2022, Juan Carlos had confirmed that he would remain in the United Arab Emirates. He has decided to live “permanently” in Abu Dhabi, but will “frequently” travel to Spain, like “El Pais”, citing a letter from Juan Carlos to his son Felipe VI. reported. The letter was preceded by the announcement that the prosecutor’s office of the Spanish Supreme Court is dropping the investigation against the former king.
Juan Carlos I was King of Spain from November 22, 1975 to June 18, 2014. Since June 2014, Juan Carlos’ son Felipe VI. and his wife Letizia (49) the new royal couple.
