French President Emmanuel Macron invited to dinner Friday the former King of Spain, Juan Carlos, in delicacy with the royal house and living in exile in the Emirates, and the writer Mario Vargas Llosa, who has just entered the 'French Academy.
The son of the 2010 Nobel Literature winner, Alvaro Vargas Llosa, announced it Thursday evening on Twitter.
Having acceded to the functions of Head of State in 1975, after the death of the dictator Franco who had designated him as his successor, King Juan Carlos I was a major figure on the international scene, hailed and respected for decades , for allowing the return of democracy to Spain.
His popularity plummeted after personal scandals, including at least one extra-marital affair, and revelations about his lavish lifestyle in Spain from 2012. Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 in favor of his son Felipe VI, who distanced himself from him.
He has lived in the Emirates since 2020. For the past few months, Juan Carlos has multiplied public appearances in Europe, attending the funerals of the Queen of England Elisabeth II and the former King of Greece Constantin II.
The 86-year-old Peruvian-Spanish novelist Mario Vargas Llosa was welcomed Thursday to the French Academy, the first to enter without ever having written directly in French, during a ceremony attended by Juan Carlos, 85.
Spanish writer Javier Cercas, who recently interviewed Emmanuel Macron for
El Pais
newspaper , will also be among the guests on Friday.