7 Dec, 2021 @ 20:45
1 min read

Disgraced ex-king Juan Carlos plots return to Spain with demands for his old palace and a €200K annual salary

King Juan Carlos I spain
Dec. 24, 2012 - Spanish King Juan Carlos I addresses the nation in his traditional Christmas message on 24 December 2012, from his official residence of La Zarzuela in Madrid, central Spain. EFE/BALLESTEROS - POOL (Credit Image: © Ballesteros/DPA/ZUMAPRESS.com) Cordon Press

KING Juan Carlos is plotting a return to Spain from self-imposed exile in the Middle East and wants the taxpayer to pay for his retirement where he feels most at home – in the Zarzuela Palace.

The extraordinarily brazen plan emerged as his lawyers claimed he should be immune from prosecution in London’s High Court over allegations he spied and harassed a former lover after their split.

The 83-year-old has been living in Abu Dhabi since August 2020 after a series of scandals threatened to taint the institution of the Spanish crown and overshadow Felipe VI.

Juan Carlos fled Spain following revelations of financial misdealings including the creation of an offshore inheritance fund for his son, a fund which Felipe immediately renounced his right to and halted a state stipend of nearly €200,000 paid each year to the former King.

State prosecutors were investigating whether the ex-monarch could face charges and recent media reports have suggested that the investigations would be quietly dropped.

But even as his legal team prepared to defend the monarch in an entirely different scandal – one that involved Corinna Sayn-Wittgenstein, a €65 million gift hidden in an off-shore fund that she refused return, and allegations of spying and bullying – it appears that Juan Carlos believes he can soon return to Spain.

Sources cited in a scoop by Spain’s El Confidencial online newspaper on Tuesday said Juan Carlos believes he is entitled to an annual income of €194,000 to be paid by the taxpayer for his upkeep.

He has also expressed a desire to return to his former home, Zarzuela Palace.

“He wants to come back to what he regards as his house. The royal family and the government will not like this as it will stir up an unwelcome public debate,” wrote  journalist Jose Antonio Zarzalejos.

READ ALSO:

Fiona Govan

Fiona Govan joined The Olive Press in March 2021. She moved to Spain in 2006 to be The Daily Telegraph’s Madrid correspondent and then worked for six years as Editor of The Local Spain. She lives in Madrid’s Malasaña district with her dog Rufus.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

COVID-19 passport is putting off angry Benidorm bar and restaurant customers according to hospitality association on Spain's Costa Blanca
Previous Story

COVID-19 passport putting off ‘angry’ Benidorm bar and restaurant customers on Spain’s Costa Blanca

At Photocall For Premiere Serie La Casa De Papel Vol.2 In Madrid On Tuesday, 30 November 2021.
Next Story

Money Heist star Ursula Corbero from Spain hitting the big time on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show

Latest from Lead

Go toTop

More From The Olive Press