Two weeks after his escape, the palace put an end to speculation: Spain's ex-king is in the United Arab Emirates.
The guesswork about the whereabouts of the former Spanish king, Juan Carlos I (82), is over. After two weeks of uncertainty, the Zarzuela Palace finally officially announced the whereabouts on Monday. Accordingly, he is actually in the United Arab Emirates, as the Spanish newspaper "ABC" reports. This had previously been traded as the most likely place to be since his escape from his home country in early August.
It was further stated that it had been agreed that it would be King Juan Carlos himself who would announce his whereabouts if he deems it appropriate. He now seems to have given the palace a corresponding signal. The speculation put pressure on his son, King Felipe VI. (52), recently massively increased.
Why is Juan Carlos in exile?
The palace announced on August 3rd that the former head of state is no longer in the country. A letter from Juan Carlos was published on the official site explaining his departure. After the Spanish Supreme Court opened an investigation in June, which, among other things, concerns Juan Carlos' involvement in a corruption affair, he said he wanted to avert greater damage to the palace's reputation by leaving.
Abdication in 2014
Juan Carlos I was King of Spain from November 22, 1975 to June 18, 2014. The monarch had to abdicate because his alleged extramarital affairs, the scandal over the elephant hunt in Africa and the financial scandal over son-in-law Iñaki Urdangarin (52) damaged the image of the royal family. Since June 2014 Juan Carlos' son Felipe VI. and his wife (since 2004) Letizia (47) the new royal couple.