King Juan Carlos is back in Spain

RETIRED monarch and 'King Dad' Juan Carlos I is back in Spain after nearly two years in Abu Dhabi, due to reunite with his son shortly and to watch a regatta in Galicia.

The Rex Emeritus, who abdicated in June 2014, turning Prince Felipe of Asturias into Felipe V of Spain, has been in the Middle East since August 2020 and, although his whereabouts during all of that time have not been confirmed, it was known that as at February last year he based on an island 15 minutes from mainland Abu Dhabi by boat.

TeleCinco's magazine show Viva la Vida caught up with the former King, 84, on a complex of 11 luxury villas on Nurai Island – which was uninhabited until a few years back – staying in a six-bedroom mansion owned by his friends, the Al-Qubaisi family.

Back then, the family – husband, wife and two daughters – posted a selfie on their official Instagram page, @amnalqubaisi_oficial, with Juan Carlos I (shown above).

King Felipe V's father moved out to Abu Dhabi when a new probe into a possible case of money-laundering involving contracts for the Saudi high-speed rail cited the elder monarch's name.

The Supreme Court, the audience of first instance for heads of State and politicians and the final resort for civilians, has now filed the case and it looks as though King Juan Carlos is in the clear, but his intention was to stay out of Spain so as not to overshadow the work of his son and daughter-in-law, Queen Letizia.

One of the reasons he cited for his abdication eight years ago was the negative media coverage about him and his general fall from public popularity – once very high and near-unanimous thanks to his rôle in Spain's Transition from dictatorship to democracy – and his feelings that the Monarchy needed a new face, new image and young blood for it to thrive.

King Juan Carlos I has always said he would return to Spain once his name was cleared in respect of the financial probe dating back to 2011, although this would only ever be for flying visits, as he is now settled and comfortable in his retirement in Abu Dhabi.

His return to Spain today (Thursday, May 19) is no secret – the elder King expressly wanted the public to know about it – but he will be heading back out east again on Monday.

He will not meet up with his son and other family members until the last day, instead opting to stay for the four days at the yacht club in Sanxenxo, where he will be watching a competition and whose management has pledged to give him the red carpet treatment.

A boat captained by King Juan Carlos, the Bribón, will be taking part in the regatta – in the 6mR class of the InterRías Trophy event, part of the Spanish National Cup 2022 circuit.

Sanxenxo's mayor Telmo Martín said the town would be 'thrilled' to see the retired monarch after so long, and yacht club chairman Pedro Campos confirms Juan Carlos I will be staying at a villa he, Campos, owns in the Nanín district.

The Rex Emeritus has stayed there several times since it was first built and is 'very comfortable there', according to his good friend Campos.

Juan Carlos I announced in March that he now intends to visit Spain 'often' to see his friends and family.

In fact, he only spoke to his son Felipe V a few days ago, when the younger King was in Abu Dhabi attending a State funeral for United Arab Emirates Sheikh, Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

They did not get to meet up on King Felipe's express trip, but spoke on the phone and agreed to see each other 'very soon' in Madrid, albeit without confirming dates.

It is not clear whether King Juan Carlos I will coincide with his wife, Queen Sofía, since she is currently in Miami, Florida and not due back until Sunday (May 22).

The reigning monarch's parents lived in separate wings of the palace for many years, reports confirmed ahead of Juan Carlos I's abdication, only meeting up for official public engagements and important family events, and only communicating via their secretaries.

For this reason, it was never expected that she would follow him to the Middle East when he emigrated.

Queen Sofía is on a private visit to the USA to mark the 500th anniversary of the first-ever circumnavigation of the globe, in the Victoria, captained by Juan Elcano and Portugal's Fernão Magalhães.

A replica of their craft was built for the Expo '92 in Sevilla and, 30 years on, is still touring the world for the public to visit it and find out more about life on board in 1522.