-
Juan Carlos I greets from a rubber boat, in the framework of a visit to attend the InterRias trophy regatta of the 6M Spanish Cup, in the Galician town of Sanxenxo, northwestern Spain, on May 20, 2022. Photo: Brais Lorenzo/AFP.
Former King Juan Carlos I was acclaimed on Friday by dozens of people in the coastal town of Sanxenxo (northwest), in his first public appearance after returning to Spain after almost two years of exile .
The 84-year-old former monarch, who settled in the United Arab Emirates in August 2020 amidst suspicions of corruption, it arrived. He will return to Spain on Thursday night for a visit that will conclude on Monday and raised critical in the country.
But in the port of the Galician town of Sanxenxo – where this weekend he attends a regatta in which the “Bribón”, a sailboat with which he was world champion, participates – dozens of curious they acclaimed him shouting “Long live the King!”, “Long live Spain!” and “¡Come back, come back!”.
Moving around with the help of a cane and the arm of a companion, the father of the current king, Felipe VI, greeted his wife. the curious and posed He stood before the many assembled photographers, looking excited. He did not make statements.
Juan Carlos I, who abdicated & gué; in 2014 persecuted by scandals, will go on Monday to Madrid to see his wife Sofía, his son Felipe VI, and the rest of the family , before returning to Abu Dhabi.
According to the Royal House, the previous monarch plans to return “regularly” to Spain to see his family. According to the mayor of Sanxenxo, he plans to return to this town in June.
The visit comes after the prosecution filed the case. in March, all the investigations to which he was the subject.
However, the revelations about the unclear origin of his fortune seriously damaged his image, appreciated until then for his role in the transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.
The government of socialist Pedro Sánchez -who opposed, according to the press, his sleeping in the residence official of Felipe VI – insists that he must give “explanations”.
Felipe VI has tried to distance himself from his father. Thus, in March 2020 he resigned. to his inheritance and withdrew him & gué; his annual pay of almost 200,000 euros.