MADRID – The emeritus king of Spain, Juan Carlos, who returned home yesterday for a short visit after almost two years of self-exile in Abu Dhabi, was greeted by applause and choruses as “long live the king” upon his arrival at the Nautical Club of Sanxenxo, a tourist resort in Galicia where he was went on the occasion of a sailing regatta. It was shown by images of Spanish public television.
The former monarch arrived by car from his friend’s house Pedro Campos, who has offered himself as his guest these days. Once he got out of the vehicle and supported himself with the help of a cane due to mobility problems, he allowed himself to greet and shake hands with the people of the “welcome committee”, including the mayor of Sanxenxo, Telmo Martin, as well as the crowd of locals, sympathizers and onlookers gathered to witness his return. Together with the king emeritus there is also theInfanta Elenahis eldest daughter and sister of the current monarch Felipe VI.
Juan Carlos’s visit is accompanied by a trail of strong controversy on the political front. Although all the investigations into his fiscal activities have been dismissed by the Supreme Court, the same public prosecutor has acknowledged that this does not mean that he is innocent: it was not possible to proceed against the former sovereign because in part the crimes were prescribed, in part committed when he enjoyed the regime of inviolability guaranteed by the Constitution when he was still on the throne. The investigations had developed along three lines: the existence of alleged funds hidden by the king emeritus in tax havens, the alleged illegal commissions paid to Juan Carlos as intermediary in the contract for the construction of the high-speed railway line between Mecca and Medina, in Saudi Arabia and the alleged use of funds from a Mexican businessman friend through a figurehead.
Juan Carlos, who landed yesterday at Vigo airport – the same from which he had fled Spain in August two years ago in full judicial storm – on Monday he will be in Madrid to meet his wife, the Queen Sophia, and his son Felipe VI, the current sovereign with whom he has had very tense relations since the scandal broke out. On the same day on Monday, the king emeritus will embark again for Abu Dhabi, where he lives as a guest of the ruling family (Sheikh Khalifa died a week ago, but Juan Carlos is also on excellent terms with the new sovereign. Mohammed bin Zayed) and where, he confirmed in recent days, he decided to establish his “permanent residence”.