Palace confirm: Juan Carlos returns to Spain | royals

The Spanish Palace announced on Wednesday night that Juan Carlos would stay in the country until Monday to visit family and friends. With this statement, the palace confirms earlier rumors of the king’s return.

While in Spain, Juan Carlos will stay in the town of Sanxenxo until Sunday and travel to Madrid on Monday May 23. In La Operetta Palace, the King will join his wife Queen Sofia and other relatives. On the same day, according to the palace, the retired monarch will return to Abu Dhabi, where he has “established his permanent and stable residence”.

Intention

The palace also said the visit was part of Juan Carlos’ plan to travel regularly to Spain to visit family and friends.

Juan Carlos ruled Spain from 1975 to 2014. He retired as head of state for health reasons, but officially retained his title as King of Spain. He left unannounced in the summer of 2020 and it took some time before it was known that he had settled in the Middle East. He happened to be a guest of his friend Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and leader of the United Arab Emirates. His father, Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, died last week.