Royal Central - Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
PHOTO: IREKIA/CC BY 2.0/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
King Juan Carlos returned to Abu Dhabi after leaving Spain.
The former King of Spain travelled to Europe last week, first stopping in London and then moving on to the country he reigned over for 37 years.
He was in Galicia to participate in the II Volvo Regatta, which took place in Sanxenxo over the past few days. However, despite taking part in training and trials, the King was ultimately unable to make it onto the water due to the bad weather conditions.
Before leaving, however, various media outlets report that King Felipe’s father underwent several medical checkups in Basque Country; he departed Spain from Vitoria, where his former son-in-law currently resides, two days later.
This was only the King’s second visit to Spain since he went into self imposed exile in Abu Dhabi in August 2020, wishing to retire to private life, away from the scandals rocking Spanish politics and potentially hurting the reputation of the current King and the monarchy.
Much mystery was left around his final destination in the first few days of his departure until the Royal Household confirmed that he had settled in the UAE. Since then he was reportedly joined a few months ago by his first grandchild, Infanta Elena’s son, Felipe.
Since then, the former monarch only made one other trip to the country he once reigned over, and that was in May 2022, when he also arrived in Spain for the sailing season, and had the opportunity to hold talks with King Felipe and the rest of his family – including Queen Sofía, despite her having COVID-19 at the time.
This time, it seems like King Juan Carlos did not have a chance to meet with the rest of his family; however, the controversies surrounding his return to the country did not vanish.