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Finally, the scandals reached Juan Carlos, the former untouchable king.
Once the Spanish media threw informal censorship overboard, there was an avalanche of revelations about business and the luxury life of its women. And not least: if the “gifts” that the king had received from foreign dignitaries, something that many suspect were reciprocal services because the king made sure that large commercial contracts went to the “right” company.
The drop, for the Spanish public, became the images of a smiling Juan Carlos with a rifle, posing in front of a recently killed elephant.
The images were published in 2012, when the king in the midst of Spain’s deepest economic crisis in decades chose to take a private jet to Botswana to hunt in the company of his mistress Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein.
At this time, the unemployment rate among young Spaniards was 55%. It became clear that the king lacked contact with the reality of the subjects.
Two years later, Juan Carlos abdicated in favor of his son, the current King Felipe VI.
Juan Carlos during a military ceremony in 2014.
Photo: Daniel Ochoa de Olza / AP
But he didn’t give up From a life of hustle and bustle The trips with the private jet continued and new lovers appeared. Her collections of luxury cars and exclusive watches were intact.
And new corruption scandals aroused the interest of the authorities, both inside and outside of Spain.
The Supreme Court of Madrid is now investigating tax evasion and money laundering in Juan Carlos’ inner circle. In Switzerland, prosecutors are investigating large payments from Saudi Arabia and he is said to have received a gift from him that Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, the mistress who was involved in hunting elephants.
The gift must have been paid at 65 million euros, money that is also suspected to come from Saudi Arabia.
But the former king has so far not been prosecuted or identified as a suspect in any of the investigations.
The son, King Felipe, has renounced the future inheritance of Juan Carlos’ personal fortune and has abolished his kinship equivalent to 2 million Swedish crowns.
But despite Felipe’s estrangement from his father, the former king, many believe that the Spanish monarchy will not survive the scandals in the long term.
And Juan Carlos himself In early August he chose to go into exile, “for the good of the country.”
After a time of speculation, it was recently revealed which country he had chosen to settle in: the United Arab Emirates. It is difficult to imagine a less democratic country.
But he has friends there. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, once donated two Ferraris to the king.
Read more:
Nathan Shachar: Elephant hunting made the Spanish turn their backs on the king
“MBZ”: The Media Shadow Emir Leading the New Middle East Superpower
