King Juan Carlos of Spain has been spending the past days with members of his family as he marks two years since his decision to leave the country he once ruled.
He is spending the actual anniversary of his self imposed exile, August 3rd, with Infanta Cristina, his youngest daughter, who arrived in the United Arab Emirates in recent days. Several of his grandchildren are also with him.
His elder daughter, Infanta Elena, was with Juan Carlos in the days before the anniversary itself. The two women are now frequent visitors to the UAE where their father has lived since deciding to quit Spain in August 2020 after controversy around his money affairs intensified.
Since then, all investigations into allegations of financial impropriety have been dropped without any charges being brought.
King Juan Carlos returned to Spain earlier this year where he spent several days in Sanxenxo in north west Spain, receiving a warm response from locals as he attended a sailing regatta. A crowd also turned out to cheer him when he arrived in Madrid for a brief, private meeting with his son, King Felipe VI.
Felipe is currently in Mallorca where, since the reign of his father, Spain’s royals traditionally spend the first part of their summer holidays. Juan Carlos introduced the tradition to help promote his country and its tourist industry. King Felipe, along with Queen Letizia and their daughters, have already visited the famous site of Cartuja de Valldemosa during their current stay.
King Juan Carlos ruled Spain from 1975 until 2014 when he abdicated in favour of Felipe. He is widely credited with helping restore democracy to Spain after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. His popularity faltered in the 2010s during a series of scandals. He stepped aside on June 19 2014.
