King Juan Carlos of Spain ends exile and returns to Spain
The lonely return of Spain’s disgraced king: Juan Carlos arrives by private jet for first visit since leaving amid financial scandal two years ago – but his son Felipe is nowhere to be seen
King Juan Carlos has arrived for a flying visit to see friends and family in Spain Son King Felipe VI failed to meet him during a trip to Abu Dhabi last weekJuan Carlos is in exile after Swiss prosecutors investigated his financesHe was met on his arrival by his daughter Elena but his wife was not present
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
(function (src, d, tag){
var s = d.createElement(tag), prev = d.getElementsByTagName(tag)[0];
s.src = src;
prev.parentNode.insertBefore(s, prev);
}(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/1.17.0/async_bundle–.js”, document, “script”));
<!–
DM.loadCSS(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/gunther-2159/video_bundle–.css”);
<!–
Spain‘s scandal-hit former King Juan Carlos returned home yesterday, bringing to an end his nearly two-year exile in the Middle East.
Juan Carlos, 84, flew by private jet from Abu Dhabi to Vigo, in northwest Spain, where he was met by his daughter Elena, 58. His wife Sofia, 83, and son King Felipe, 54, the reigning monarch, were not present.
The royal’s first stop was the Royal Sailing Club of Sanxenxo, where he sailed alongside his ‘Bribo’ boat during the regatta of the InterRias trophy of the 6mR class Copa Espana 2022 circuit.
The royal is staying with his close friend Pedro Campos, a former America’s Cup sailor, at his home near the Galician resort of Sanxenxo, one of his favourite destinations where he has often been spotted in the past sailing with friends and family.
He is expected to remain in the country until at least Monday, when he will join members of his family at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. Today he is attending a sailing regatta with Campos.
The king is back: Juan Carlos, 84, flew by private jet from Abu Dhabi to Vigo, in northwest Spain, where he was met by his daughter Elena, 58. His wife Sofia, 83, and son King Felipe, 54, the reigning monarch, were not present. Pictured, Felipe was met by a car
No homecoming: Felipe and his wife Letizia, pictured, have worked hard to restore public trust in the royal family his father’s scandals that have tarnished the reputation of the royal family
Juan Carlos, who ruled from 1975 until his abdication in 2014, left Spain in August 2020 after becoming the target of several probes in Spain and abroad over alleged tax avoidance and questionable dealings in the Middle East.
In March Spanish state prosecutors paved the way for Juan Carlos’ temporary return to Spain by shelving the criminal probes against him, saying any alleged crimes were spent or his Head of State status at the time protected him from prosecution.
The decision was taken after he paid millions of pounds in tax regularisations.
Last week Spain dropped a probe into suspicions national firms paid kickbacks to build a high-speed rail link in Saudi Arabia.
Juan Carlos still faces a possible trial in the UK for harassing former lover Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein.
Juan Carlos, pictured, is expected to remain in the country until at least Monday, when he will join members of his family at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. Today he is attending a sailing regatta with Campos
She is suing him in the UK and High Court judge Mr Justice Nicklin ruled recently the claim can go ahead after throwing out his lawyers’ argument he is ‘entitled to immunity from the jurisdiction of the English courts in his capacity as a senior member of the Spanish royal family.’
Felipe and his wife, Queen Letizia, have worked hard to restore public trust in the royal family his father’s scandals that have tarnished the reputation of the royal family.
Felipe has publicly distanced himself from his father.
He failed to meet up with Juan Carlos during an official visit to Abu Dhabi earlier this month to pass on his condolences following the death of the United Arab Emirates’ president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan aged 73.
The disgraced Spanish king took place onboard a speedboat during his visit to the royal sailing club
Plane sailing. The royal sailed alongside his ‘Bribon’ boat today. He is expected to meet his son King Felipe VI on Monday
The disgraced king waved at royal fans who spotted him at the sailing event this afternoon. This marks his first visit to Spain since he left the country two years ago
It is understood they will come face-to-face in Madrid on Monday.
In April Felipe revealed he has a personal fortune of 2.6million euros in his first ever declaration of wealth.
The monarch has some 2.3million in current and savings accounts, while the remaining 300,000 euros is in art, antiques and jewellery, according to the statement from the royal household.
Juan Carlos’s eldest daughter, Infanta Cristina, 56, was also spotted at the race, donning white trousers, a T-shirt and a red cap
Juan Carlos sailing escapade, pictures, comes as the Spanish government said it would pass a decree to ‘strengthen the transparency, accountability, efficiency’ of the royal family
The former king was seen relying on a cane to walk during the event, and was helped by two members of his entourage
The Spanish royal donned red trousers, a white photo shirt and a cream sleeveless parka during his day out
The fortune is modest in comparison to the Queen‘s, which was estimated at £365million by The Sunday Times Rich List.
In 2020 Felipe renounced any future personal inheritance he might receive from his father. He does not hold any assets abroad.
It comes as the Spanish government said it would pass a decree to ‘strengthen the transparency, accountability, efficiency’ of the royal family ‘in line with the principles that have presided’ during Felipe’s reign.
Relying on a cane and the arm of his aid to walk, the royal made his way to the regatta as fans looked on
Bewildered fans could not help but take pictures of their former king, as he returned to his country for the first time in two years
The disgraced king waved at the crowds today. He seemed relaxed and ready to enjoy some time on the water
Juan Carlos met some of the sailors taking part in the race as well as other participants during his visit
Felipe has publicly distanced himself from his father. He failed to meet up with Juan Carlos during an official visit to Abu Dhabi earlier this month (pictured) to pass on his condolences following the death of the United Arab Emirates’ president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
King Felipe and his wife Queen Letizia, 49, a former journalist, maintain a busy schedule of royal engagements. Their daughters Princess Leonora, 16, and Princess Sofia, 14, are also seen in public with their parents. Pictured, the family at an awards ceremony in October last year
