Lhe flamboyant sovereign who rooted Spain in democratic Europe is no more than a shadow of himself … Isolated on a confetti island off Abu Dhabi, Juan Carlos deceives boredom by watching films, everything while ruminating on the incredible tumble that precipitated his exile in the sands of the Middle East.
Surrounded by a handful of bodyguards who watch over his loneliness, the old emeritus king no longer even bother to maintain a semblance of pageantry or majesty. In jeans and a T-shirt, he walks in circles in a 1000 m villa2 overlooking the sea, does a few movements in the pool to work out his legs – he walks with crutches – and stays connected outdoors thanks to his phone or tablet, on which he follows the political news of his former kingdom…
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“Some are very happy that I am gone”, he recently confided to his biographer, Laurence Debray, author of My fallen king (Stock editions). “I was facing a lot of pressure. »Which ones? He won’t say more, but the list of the king’s enemies has grown steadily in recent years. Juan Carlos has become infrequent, too compromised, too hated, a scarecrow that had to be quickly removed from the palace, at the risk of seeing the Spanish monarchy liquefy like ice cubes under the Andalusian sun …
Plots at the palace
The fault first with himself: the former sovereign showed a real sense of the State on the throne, while leading the life of reveler behind the scenes. The incorrigible playboy loves life and women, he collects mistresses, not to mention his taste for hunting which makes him commit a major blunder by going on a safari with his mistress Corinna, in 2012, while his subjects are trying to overcome the crisis … The press is unleashed, public opinion is rocking. The king ended up abdicating in 2014. He threw in the towel to try to save the coat of arms, but not without ulterior motives …
According to his ex-mistress Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, Juan Carlos, weakened by the disease, was convinced that a plot had been brewing behind his back for a long time. “I have two fronts in front of me, he told him in 2011, according to comments reported in Paris Match. The first is made up of my wife and her lieutenants: she is in a hurry to put her son on the throne because she has much more influence over him than over me. The second is embodied by Mariano Rajoy (Prime Minister from 2011 to 2018), who aims to castrate me and weaken the monarchy. “
The second act comes after the suspicions of embezzlement revealed in a chain from 2018, when the Swiss justice decides to investigate a “gift” of 100 million dollars from the king of Saudi Arabia, quickly placed in a Swiss account before d ‘to transfer part of it to that of his mistress… Not to mention a lifestyle paid for by the credit cards of a rich Mexican friend. Several investigations are launched, it is suspected that the 100 million come from illegal commissions related to the construction of the high speed train Medina-Mecca.
Mixed in with the affair, Corinna discards herself, accuses the Spanish secret services and the royal entourage of wanting her skin – she has also just let go of her ex-lover by filing a complaint for harassment and illegal surveillance and claims compensation. In reality, the king emeritus would have put pressure on his former mistress to recover her nest egg, who intends to keep the jackpot for herself, even if it means pulling out the claws. In addition to being a hell of a trickster, the Spaniards discover that their ex-king can also behave like a muzzle …
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Denied by his son
The third act is played out in the heart of the royal palace: the new king Felipe VI completes his father by cutting him off in spring 2020, removing with a stroke of the pen his annual endowment of 190,000 euros. He said in the wake of refusing in advance the paternal inheritance, which includes foundations and assets that now smell of sulfur … Five months later, Juan Carlos leaves Spain like an outcast. He writes a letter to his son: “Guided now by the conviction to render the best service to the Spaniards, to their institutions, and to you as king, I inform you of my considered decision to exile myself. And to join his rich friends in the Middle East, which was not necessarily the best base in terms of image.
But where to go? He no longer has his hand, his family moves away, the faithful have left, there are only a handful of friends left to take his phone calls again and to contribute to help him cope … clan, only his two daughters Cristina and Elena, made the trip to check on him, but in all discretion, without red carpet or official photo. From now on, King Felipe is betting everything on an image of probity, relying in particular on the popularity of his mother Sofia and on the youth of his daughter Leonor. A strategy that has allowed him to give some color to a faltering monarchy, in view of the latest polls. Even if it goes through the sacrifice of the father …
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Juan Carlos, who experienced exile in his youth, thus completes his destiny far from Madrid. He has just settled his dispute with the tax authorities by paying a regularization of 5 million and regains hope when the Swiss justice classifies the case without further action around the 100 million dollars offered by Saudi Arabia. Since his exile, he has always dreamed of coming back: rumor has it soon in Portugal, where he owns the Villa Giralda, near Lisbon, currently undergoing renovation… Very close to his former kingdom, which he preferred to flee. And where no one expects it.
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