Juan Carlos visits Felipe: The old king's visit to his homeland is difficult

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Juan Carlos on his way to Zarzuela Palace in Madrid

Photo: OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP

Spain's controversial former king Juan Carlos has with his son and successor Felipe VI.

met.

For the first time in almost two years, Juan Carlos had traveled to his old homeland, but spent the first few days with friends in the port town of Sanxenxo in the north-west of the country.

The visit to Felipe now took place behind closed doors.

The many journalists and cameramen from home and abroad who had positioned themselves in front of the Zarzuela Palace northwest of the capital only got to see on Monday how the car with the 84-year-old drove into the royal residence and the building in the evening left again after about eleven hours.

But most observers agreed, even without pictures and after a little meaningful communiqué from the royal family: the reunion was certainly anything but happy and relaxed.

The newspaper »El País« wrote of a »climate of uneasiness«.

The royal house expert Fernando Ónega said on the state television channel RTVE that the course of the visit so far after the hasty farewell in summer 2020 had additionally "complicated" the situation.

Juan Carlos has been criticized for a series of misconduct.

He is accused of tax evasion and affairs.

The public prosecutor's office had only stopped the year-long investigation into financial irregularities in March because Juan Carlos was either protected by his immunity as king until his abdication in June 2014, the actions were statute-barred or he hastily paid back taxes in the millions.

In the justification, however, prosecutors described the misconduct in detail and made it known to a broader public.

Although some fans greeted Juan Carlos with cheers and applause, hundreds also protested against his visit.

"El País" wrote that Felipe would have preferred it if Juan Carlos had taken a doctor's appointment as the occasion of his visit and had behaved "more tactfully".

The royal family fears that the visit to the monarchy will cause further image damage despite Felipe's virtuous behavior.

"With his sailing excursions, seafood feasts and his cronies, Juan Carlos has become his son's worst enemy," RTVE said. 

The reunion of the man who was head of state of Spain for almost 40 years with King Felipe, 54 and Queen Letizia, 49, and other family members was not on the king's official agenda.

Felipe and Juan Carlos spoke "about family issues and various events and their impact on Spanish society," the royal family said.

Accordingly, the old king could eventually move his residence back to Spain.

His wife Sofía, 83, was unable to attend the meeting.

At around 10 p.m., the private jet with the old king on board took off for Abu Dhabi.

kha/dpa