The Spanish royal family was in a good mood as they strolled through the mountain village of Valldemossa at the beginning of their summer vacation on Mallorca. There were jokes with journalists, selfies, talks and handshakes with passers-by and cheers. King Felipe (54), Queen Letizia (49), Crown Princess Leonor (16) and Infanta Sofia (15) were all beaming on their outing on Monday evening. The Royals from Madrid seemed to have no problems – but appearances can be deceiving.
The fact that the family blessing is crooked despite all the joy displayed has to do with grandpa Juan Carlos. Unlike his wife Sofia (83), the old king is not in Mallorca, but 5,000 kilometers away in exile in Abu Dhabi. The man who was head of state in Spain between 1975 and 2014 was shrouded in mystery when he left the country for the second time on Wednesday.
Poor health
While little is known about the life of the 84-year-old in the desert emirate, there are concerns in Spain about the mental state of Juan Carlos, who is also in poor health. There was good news five months ago: In March, all investigations into the old king were stopped in Spain. Unfortunately, his first visit home was “disappointing”, as the media reported, and another one was canceled immediately. Nevertheless, it had not been ruled out in Spain that Juan Carlos would fly to Mallorca in the summer to spend time with his family gathered at the Marivent Palace.
The unanimous analysis of various Spanish media proves that he has not come: Grandpa remains banned. There are no plans for a new visit, wrote the newspaper “El Periódico”.
Juan Carlos was long considered a hero. In 1981 he persuaded a putschist group to give up with a resolute speech, for which he was celebrated as the “savior” of democracy. Personal scandals and financial misconduct damaged the image – and permanently, as you can see.
Source: Nachrichten
