Belfast Telegraph

Mystery over former king of Spain as financial row deepens

- BY BARRY HATTON

deny knowing Virginia, saying he has no recollecti­on of that night, I had to come forward because I was there and I do have a recollecti­on of it,” Ms Walker was quoted as saying.

The Sun reported the FBI had decided it did not need Ms Walker’s testimony despite being given her evidence by Ms Bloom.

The FBI decline to comment on the developmen­t.

SPECULATIO­N over the whereabout­s of former monarch Juan Carlos has gripped Spain after he announced he was leaving the country for an unspecifie­d destinatio­n amid a growing financial scandal.

Juan Carlos told his son King Felipe VI he was moving outside Spain due to the “public repercussi­ons of certain episodes of my past private life”. Juan Carlos is the target of official investigat­ions in Spain and Switzerlan­d, which are looking into possible financial wrongdoing.

The bombshell announceme­nt took most Spaniards by surprise.

Neither the royal family nor the government disclosed where he was going.

Yesterday daily newspaper ABC reported that Juan Carlos left Spain on Sunday and flew via Porto, in neighbouri­ng Portugal, to the Dominican Republic.

La Vanguardia also said he was in the Caribbean country, but only temporaril­y.

But El Confidenci­al newspaper said he could be in Portugal, where he spent part of his childhood, or in France or Italy, where he has family and friends.

The 82-year-old former king is credited with helping Spain peacefully restore democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

But marred by scandals in the later years of his reign, Juan Carlos in 2014 abdicated in favour of his son Felipe, losing the immunity from prosecutio­n Spain’s Constituti­on grants to the head of state.

In the wake of Juan Carlos’ announceme­nt, some people called for the monarchy to be abolished. The leftist political party Unidas Podemos, the junior member of Spain’s coalition government, wants a public debate about creating a republic.

“There is no reason at all to keep supporting a monarchy which doesn’t possess minimum ethical standards,” the party said.

But the Socialist party, which leads the government under prime minister Pedro Sanchez, has showed no willingnes­s to follow that path and has declared its support for Felipe.

 ??  ?? Prince Andrew with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts (centre) and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001
Prince Andrew with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts (centre) and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001
 ??  ?? Scandal: Juan Carlos
Scandal: Juan Carlos

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