Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Spain's Exiled Ex-King Returns Home After Two Years, Attracts Backlash

Spain's Exiled Ex-King Returns Home After Two Years, Attracts Backlash

Although prosecutors closed their probes into Juan Carlos I's affairs in March, revelations about the murky origins of his fortune have done irreparable damage to his reputation.

Spain's former king made his first trip home on Thursday after nearly two years in exile following a string of financial scandals, sparking widespread criticism.

Although prosecutors closed their probes into Juan Carlos I's affairs in March, revelations about the murky origins of his fortune have done irreparable damage to a figure once revered for his role in Spain's transition to democracy following decades of dictatorship.

"What we've heard in recent years has been very worrying for everyone regarding the institution of the head of state," Economy Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Nadia Calvino told Cadena Ser radio.

"There's no doubt we need some explanations."

The 84-year-old former monarch arrived on Thursday evening by private jet in Vigo in northwestern Spain ahead of a three-day regatta in the nearby resort of Sanxenxo, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

His yacht, the "Bribon" -- Spanish for "rascal" -- is participating, and is the same vessel with which he and his crew won the world sailing title in 2017.

He was greeted at Vigo airport by his eldest child, Princesa Elena, who embraced him, before boarding a car which would take him to Sanxenxo.

On Monday, he travels to Madrid to visit his wife Sofia, his son King Felipe VI and other family members before leaving the same day for Abu Dhabi "where he has established his permanent residence", the palace said late Wednesday.

He has been living there since going into self-imposed exile in August 2020.

The visit reflects the former king's "desire to regularly visit his family and friends in Spain", it said, indicating such gatherings would be conducted "in a private setting".

Government Opposes Palace Sleepover

According to Spanish media, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government strongly opposed any suggestion he be allowed to stay overnight at the royal residence, Zarzuela Palace.

The hard-line left-wing Podemos, Sanchez's junior coalition partner, expressed outrage over his visit.

"Anyone returning to our country with a record like that of king Juan Carlos I would be arrested as soon as they crossed the border and prosecuted," it tweeted.

After nearly 40 years on the throne, it was scandal that prompted Juan Carlos's fall from grace, forcing him first to abdicate in 2014 and then to flee to the United Arab Emirates, dogged by allegations of financial corruption.

In announcing his departure in 2020, the former monarch said he was leaving due to "the public repercussions that certain past events in my private life are generating", expressing hope Felipe could carry out his royal duties with the necessary "tranquillity and calm".

Some 18 months later, Spanish prosecutors shelved their investigations into his finances, concluding they did "not allow for any criminal action to be brought" against him.

They cited various reasons, including a "lack of incriminating evidence, the statute of limitations, the inviolability of the head of state and tax regularisation" payments he made in recent years.

Although they confirmed identifying "sums defrauded from the Treasury" between 2008 and 2012, they said the tax authorities had managed to recover more than five million euros, "an amount corresponding to the tax dues owed".

Since leaving, Juan Carlos has twice settled tax debts on undeclared income for over five million euros in what was widely seen as a bid to avoid being charged with a crime.

Legally Fine, Ethically Questionable

"There is no longer any legal or judicial reason to stop the king emeritus from travelling to Spain but there are a wealth of ethical grounds that explain the commotion this has caused," an El Pais editorial said Thursday.

In a bid to try and restore the image of the monarchy, Felipe VI -- who took over as king in 2014 -- has sought to distance himself from his scandal-hit father.

In March 2020, Felipe ended his father's annual palace allowance, worth a reported 200,000 euros ($210,000), and renounced his own claim on what he would have inherited from the king emeritus.

Last month, he took steps with the government to increase the transparency of the monarchy with the publication of a decree requiring the palace publish its budget and make tenders public.

It also means the royal accounts will be audited, that senior palace officials must declare their personal wealth on taking up and leaving a post, and that gifts given to royals will be catalogued.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×