Emeritus King Juan Carlos I of Spain will continue to reside in Abu Dhabi

USPA NEWS - Abu Dhabi is, since August 2020, the place of residence of the King Emeritus of Spain, Juan Carlos I of Bourbon, father of the current monarch, Felipe VI. His march to the Arab country took place in the midst of the political storm unleashed by the alleged commissions that the then Head of the Spanish State would have collected from monarchies of the Persian Gulf for his intermediation for the construction of the high-speed train to Mecca by Spanish companies. At the end of 2021, the Swiss Prosecutor's Office closed the complaint filed against the King Emeritus for alleged corruption and, last February, the Spanish Supreme Court Prosecutor's Office closed its investigations for three reasons: due to lack of evidence, because the actions of Juan Carlos I occurred in the exercise of his functions as Head of the Spanish State or for having regularized his tax debt with the Treasury.

These judicial decisions opened the door for the Emeritus monarch to return to Spain. Victim of a campaign of harassment and demolition promoted by the republican parties and extreme left of the Spanish Parliament, which questioned the Monarchy as a political system in Spain, King Juan Carlos I left Spain so as not to hinder the work of his son, the King Felipe VI. This week, the Emeritus monarch addressed a letter to the current King in which he announced his decision to continue residing in Abu Dhabi and reaffirmed his intention to withdraw from public life.

In the letter, made public by the Spanish Royal House, the King Emeritus recalls how "in August 2020, guided by the conviction of providing the best service to Spain and all Spaniards, its institutions and you as King, I communicated my decision to move outside of Spain, to facilitate the exercise of your functions. Since then, I have resided in Abu Dhabi, a place to which I have adapted my way of life and to which I greatly appreciate his magnificent hospitality.”

"Knowing the Decrees of the State Attorney General's Office, by which the investigations to which I have been the subject are archived, it seems appropriate to consider my return to Spain, although not immediately," adds the King Emeritus. “I prefer, at this time, for reasons that belong to my private sphere and that only affect me, to continue residing permanently and stable in Abu Dhabi, where I have found peace of mind, especially for this period of my life. Although, naturally, I will frequently return to Spain, which I always carry in my heart, to visit family and friends.”

Juan Carlos I explains that “in this way I would like to end this stage of my life from the serenity and perspective that time has elapsed [...] In 2019 I informed you of my desire to withdraw from public life, and I will continue to do so. In this sense, both during my visits and if I were to reside in Spain again in the future, it is my purpose to organize my personal life and my place of residence in areas of a private nature in order to continue enjoying the greatest possible privacy.”

And he concludes by emphasizing that "I am aware of the importance for public opinion of the past events of my private life and that I sincerely regret, as I also feel a legitimate pride for my contribution to democratic coexistence and freedoms in Spain, as a result of the effort and collective sacrifice of all Spaniards.”