Former king, Juan Carlos, and the Queen Mother, Sofia, in Spain's parliament

Archive image of former king, Juan Carlos, and the Queen Mother, Sofia, during a sitting of Spain's Congress. | Efe

Andrew EdeMadrid12/09/2022 18:43
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Spain's former king, Juan Carlos, will attend next Monday's funeral of Queen Elizabeth. The Royal Household says that it received an invitation on Sunday for King Felipe and Queen Letizia and also for the ex-king and the Queen Mother, Sofia. It adds that the decision to attend is a "personal" one taken by Juan Carlos and Sofia.

The Royal Household explains that the British Royal Family has invited the heads of state and their spouses as well as the former heads of state and their partners in the case of Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. Spain's foreign affairs minister, José Manuel Albares, said on Friday that once the invitations were received, the Spanish government would decide together with the Royal Household "the best representation" for the funeral, acknowledging that King Felipe and his father are related to the British Royal Family.

For Felipe and Juan Carlos, the funeral will be the first time they have met since May 23 at the Zarzuela Palace. This was at the end of a four-day visit to Spain by the former king, who moved to the United Arab Emirates in August 2020.