King Juan Carlos I wants to return to Spain as soon as possible and is already preparing his return, temporarily and for a short stay, for this coming weekend in Sanxenxo, the town of Pontevedra where the Spanish Cup of the 6m class sailing competition, which would serve as training for the World Championship in that category that it has held since the summer of 2019 and whose edition for 2022 will take place in that Galician estuary from June 10.
The emeritus king communicated by telephone last week to the crew of his ship, the
Rascal
, who wanted to attend that test, but is "untrained", because he has not sailed since August 2019, when he underwent heart surgery.
The King's House has not yet confirmed the date of that return, but Felipe VI spoke by phone with his father during his recent lightning trip to Abu Dhabi this weekend.
Juan Carlos I thus completes his return to Spain almost two years after his departure from the country, in August 2020, after this Saturday he had a telephone conversation with Felipe VI in Abu Dhabi, where the latter had traveled to convey his condolences for the death of the former head of state of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed al Nahyan.
That telephone conversation, before Felipe VI returned to Spain, served to specify that both will see each other soon in Madrid and to favor the date of the return of the king emeritus, who was welcomed in Abu Dhabi as a guest of the deceased sheikh.
The indication of this return to Spain of the king emeritus for this coming weekend, through Sanxenxo, was advanced this Monday by the journalist Fernando Ónega on Onda Cero, who also pointed out that the former head of state "will be received in Zarzuela, you will see to his family and will accept the conditions” that are placed on him.
The Royal House has not officially confirmed this news to the media, waiting for Juan Carlos I himself to do so.
Nor have they ratified the details in circles close to the Monarch.
The political parties reacted very differently to the possibility that the monarch will be back in Spain shortly.
The formations of the center and the right showed their good disposition and indicated that they do not have any ongoing judicial investigation.
from the left,
If it occurs, this trip to Sanxenxo will be the first reappearance of the emeritus king in Spain for almost two years, but it would not last more than a few days, as confirmed by EL PAÍS from sources familiar with those plans.
The idea of the monarch is to return to Abu Dhabi and return to Galicia a few days before June 10, when the World Championship test of that 6m class tournament also begins in that Galician town, of which he still retains the title. of champion that he achieved in 2019 in Finland.
In the following two years that World Cup could not be held as a result of covid-19.
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Felipe VI meets with the king emeritus to meet in Madrid after a telephone conversation in Abu Dhabi
In Sanxenxo, however, everything is ready to welcome the monarch again.
The local authorities and those responsible for the Real Club Naútico, organizer of the sporting event, held a conversation this Monday morning to ratify and outline some details about the competition.
Juan Carlos I himself spoke last week with some members of the crew of his sailboat and told them that his intention is to attend the regatta this coming weekend as preparatory training for the 6m class World Championship, scheduled to take place place between June 10 and 18 in that Galician town.
This weekend's test is part of the IV Spanish Cup Circuit 2022, 6m class, takes place in the same Pontevedra estuary and serves a large part of the set-up competitors.
More than half of the 40 boats registered for the world championship in June will already take part in the national interrías cup that will begin this Friday at three in the afternoon and is scheduled to end on Sunday the 22nd around that same time.
The Bribón
sailboat
captained by Juan Carlos I is also more than tested.
Her crew is made up of seven sailors, five regulars and two substitutes, all of them already in Sanxenxo for days.
Stay in Sanxenxo
The one who does not feel fit is Juan Carlos I himself, as he has commented in those informal talks to his shipmates.
The emeritus king has told them that he has not sailed for a long time and that he is somewhat worried because he looks "untrained".
That is one of the reasons why he would like to participate in the competition this coming weekend, to resume an activity that he had to abandon after undergoing heart surgery at the Quirón de Pozuelo clinic (Madrid) at the end of August. 2019. During his stay in Sanxenxo for years he has usually lived in the home of Pedro Campos, the president of the local Real Club Náutico and an expert Spanish sailor.
The Royal House has not only not confirmed that imminent trip by Juan Carlos I to return to Spain and compete in that regatta, but it has also not cleared up the question of where the emeritus is going to stay when he is in Madrid: if he will finally do it in La Zarzuela, residence of the head of state, and if it will be there where he will hold a face-to-face meeting with his son.
Don Juan Carlos moved to Abu Dhabi almost two years ago after it was revealed that he had supposedly charged commissions for the work of the AVE to Mecca and justified that departure so as not to harm the monarchical institution that Felipe VI holds.
On March 2, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office closed the three investigative proceedings that it had open: for the alleged collection of 65 million euros in commissions for the works of the Medina-Mecca high-speed train, for alleged undeclared donations and for the fortune of the emeritus in tax havens.
A few days later, King Juan Carlos informed his son of his desire to "consider" his return to Spain, "although not immediately."
The telephone conversation on Sunday between Felipe VI and Don Juan Carlos takes place a month after the infantas Elena and Cristina went to the United Arab Emirates to see their father.
The visit was reflected in a photo in which the emeritus with the infantas and his children (except Felipe Juan Froilán) posed in Abu Dhabi.
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