On Monday, a radio host broke the information that the monarch had been invited to the occasion, one thing that despatched shockwaves by each the media and the royal family.
Juan Carlos’s son, King Felipe VI, has been making an attempt to distance the royal household from the emeritus king, after a sequence of very public scandals. Their presence collectively on the funeral on Monday won’t solely set again these efforts, however has additionally brought about a media storm in Spain.
The previous king was extensively revered in Spain due to his position within the nation’s transition from dictatorship to democracy, however he fell from grace within the early 2010s resulting from a scandal involving an costly looking journey at a time of austerity within the nation, and the information that he was accompanied by a lover.
He abdicated in 2014 and later retired from public life. Nevertheless, in 2020 stress grew on him as soon as extra over a sequence of probes into his enterprise dealings. He was investigated within the Spanish courts, whereas a Swiss prosecutor additionally opened a case involving figures with hyperlinks to the self-styled emeritus king, albeit indirectly investigating Juan Carlos.
He was suspected of tax fraud and likewise was thought to have obtained an enormous kickback in relation to a Spanish consortium’s mission to construct a high-speed rail hyperlink to Mecca. Ultimately the probes in Spain and Switzerland have been shelved, for causes starting from a scarcity of proof to the immunity he loved as Spain’s head of state.
In August 2020 the previous monarch went into self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi, the place he has been residing ever since. He has solely returned to Spain as soon as, earlier this yr to attend a crusing competitors in Galicia. Somewhat than being a low-key affair, the go to changed into a media circus. He refused to offer any explanations over his enterprise dealings and the allegations towards him.
His son, King Felipe VI has lengthy been making an attempt to distance the royal household from Juan Carlos, given the reputational injury he has brought about to an establishment that’s disdained by many in Spain already – notably in areas which have traditionally sought independence, such because the Basque Nation and Catalonia.
The Spanish authorities can be reported to have been pressuring the royal family behind the scenes to cease Juan Carlos from attending the occasion.
In keeping with reviews in Spanish media retailers, Juan Carlos might be travelling on a industrial flight on to London for the funeral, and can solely be staying for twenty-four hours.
It isn’t identified whether or not he might be pictured together with his son, King Felipe, on the occasion. The pair haven’t been seen in public collectively since early 2020, and the picture is one thing that the royal family is little doubt making an attempt to keep away from.
What is for certain, in line with Spanish each day El País, is that Juan Carlos won’t be seated on the funeral subsequent to his estranged spouse, Queen Sofía.
Juan Carlos is believed to have allowed the information to be leaked as a way to pressure his son’s hand, in addition to having knowledgeable the Home of Windsor that he could be attending earlier than he even advised the Spanish royal family.
Each Juan Carlos and Sofía are distant cousins of Queen Elizabeth II, given that each one three are descendants of Queen Victoria.
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