Warm welcome for Spanish king

The former monarch left Spain for Abu Dhabi in August 2020

Former Spanish King Juan Carlos is in Spain. | Lavandeira Jr.

Jason MooreSanxenxo20/05/2022 14:09

Former Spanish King Juan Carlos landed in Spain on Thursday for his first visit since he departed to Abu Dhabi in 2020 under a cloud of financial scandals that shook the Royal House.

The former monarch went to Sanxenxo in the northern region of Galicia and attended a sailing regatta and will end his trip on Monday with a visit to his son, King Felipe, in Madrid, the Royal House said in a statement.

🔴 XOÁN CARLOS I EN SANXENXO I
Xa no porto deportivo, ás portas do Club Náutico, o monarca, que camiña apoiado nun caxato, foi recibido polas autoridades locais, organizadores da regata e centos de persoas que saudaron a súa chegada.👉https://t.co/8hhutUnFln pic.twitter.com/e8G5uez5UD
— G24 (@G24Noticias) May 20, 2022

Juan Carlos, 84, will not stay in the Zarzuela palace in Madrid, the king's official residence, the statement said.

Once revered for his role in the country's transition to democracy, the popularity of the former king fell drastically after a whirlwind of scandals that included an affair with Danish national Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein Sayn and the shooting of an elephant in Botswana. He abdicated the throne in 2014.

The former monarch left Spain for Abu Dhabi in August 2020 after several investigations opened in Spain and Switzerland over alleged fraud.

He now keeps his permanent residence in the Gulf state but said in March he would visit Spain frequently after prosecutors dropped the investigations.