MADRID ( Associated Press) — Spain’s emeritus king has decided to postpone a second visit to the country since moving abroad after his reputation was damaged by a financial scandal, Spain’s EFE news agency said Tuesday.
Juan Carlos, 84, returned to his country last month for the first time in almost two years to attend a regatta in northwestern Spain. Then the mayor of Sanxenxo said that Juan Carlos was planning to return for another regatta this month.
But according to EFE and other Spanish media, Juan Carlos has decided not to return for the second time in two months for “private reasons.” The emeritus king lives in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Juan Carlos was once one of the most respected public figures in Spain for his role in the country’s return to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. But scandals involving the royal family have started to pile up in recent years. of his reign, leading him to abdicate in 2014 in favor of his son, Felipe VI.
Juan Carlos left Spain in August 2020 as Spanish and Swiss prosecutors investigated his involvement in financial violations.
Prosecutors in Spain had to postpone the case after concluding that the violations, which included millions of euros in undeclared accounts, occurred when Juan Carlos had immunity as king.
His conduct is considered in the country as a public shame that has tarnished the crown. Felipe VI renounced his inheritance from Juan Carlos and stripped him of his state subsidy in 2020, in a historic step to distance himself from his father.
Juan Carlos still faces possible legal problems in Britain, where a former mistress who was allegedly involved in his financial dealings is accusing him of harassment.
