Moving with difficulty, the ex-king of Spain Juan Carlos was acclaimed on Friday May 20 in the port locality of Sanxenxo, in Galicia (North-West), for his first public appearance in his country since his departure for exile in August 2020.
Read alsoJuan Carlos' Spanish stay makes his former subjects wince
Having left for the United Arab Emirates almost two years ago against a backdrop of accusations of embezzlement, the 84-year-old ex-monarch returned to Spain for the first time on Thursday evening for a brief visit of a few days which sparked criticism in the country.
But on the port of Sanxenxo, where he is to attend a regatta this weekend in which the "
Bribon
", the sailboat with which he had been world champion, will take part, dozens of curious people cheered him on and welcomed them to cries of "
Long live the king, long live Spain
”.
Come “regularly”
Moving in small steps with the help of a cane, supported by an assistant, the former sovereign, visibly moved, greeted the crowd and posed in front of the many photographers present.
However, he did not speak.
Juan Carlos I, who abdicated in 2014 amid scandals, will then travel to Madrid on Monday to see his son, King Felipe VI, and his wife Sofia, before leaving the same day for Abu Dhabi, where he established his residence.
According to the royal palace, the ex-king has planned to return from now on “
regularly to Spain
” to see “
his family and his friends
”.
According to the mayor of Sanxenxo, he will return to this town in June.
A worshiped figure now tarnished
This brief visit by Juan Carlos comes after the Spanish courts closed the corruption and money laundering investigations against him in March.
But the revelations about the opaque origin of his fortune have forever tarnished, in much of Spanish public opinion, the image of this figure adored for decades for having led Spain's democratic transition after his death. of the dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.
Read alsoOpen letter to Juan Carlos, by Laurence Debray
The government of socialist Pedro Sánchez - which, according to the media, has opposed allowing him to stay at the Royal Palace of Zarzuela, the official residence of Felipe VI - is still awaiting "
explanations
" from him for his conduct.
For his part, Felipe VI has clearly distanced himself from his father.
He had thus decided in March 2020 to renounce his inheritance and to withdraw his annual allowance of nearly 200,000 euros.
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