Scandal-hit ex-king quits Spain for ‘a forced exile’
FORMER Spanish King Juan Carlos has quit Spain, apparently for good.
The 82-year-old made his decision public in a letter, published yesterday to his son Felipe, the current king.
Last night it emerged he had already left the country.
The move comes on the back of a series of scandals involving the longserving monarch, who abdicated in 2014 after four decades on the throne.
His reputation has nosedived ever since, with continuing rumours about lovers, corruption and Swiss bank accounts.
Spanish authorities are currently investigating whether he received a secret commission for helping to win a £5.5billion Saudi rail deal after a former mistress made the allegations privately.
Disastrous
Although Juan Carlos seems to claim he made the decision to quit his homeland voluntarily, it is being seen in Spain as a “forced exile” – an attempt to save the monarchy and prevent his son’s popularity from being damaged.
It is not yet clear where he will move to, although there are rumours he could end up in the Dominican Republic.
The former king said in the letter he was taking the decision with “deep feeling but with great serenity”.
He reigned from 1975 to 2014. In 2012 it was claimed he once made a pass at Princess Diana, when she was just 25, during a holiday she and Charles spent at the monarch’s summer palace in Mallorca. Diana said later that he was charming, but could be a “little too attentive”.
Royal expert Carmen Duerto said: “Something very serious has happened here. You can’t just turn round and say you’re going to move abroad. abroad? Dominican Republic? One of the Arab countries, Switzerland, exile in Portugal, where do you go?” The decision was described as a “disastrous sticking plaster”. But Antonio Montero, a Spanish TV analyst, praised the king for steering Spain to democracy. A formal announcement is expected after Juan Carlos’s son and wife Letizia finish a national tour. The letter said: “With the same desire for service to Spain that inspired my reign and in the face of
Where The the public repercussion that certain past events in my private life are generating, I wish to express to you my utmost availability to contribute to facilitating the exercise of your functions, with the tranquillity and calm your high responsibility requires.
“My legacy, and my own dignity as a person, require this. A year ago I expressed my will and desire to stop developing institutional activities.
“Now, guided by the conviction of providing the best service to the Spanish, their institutions and you as king, I am communicating my well-thought-out decision to move, at this time, outside of Spain.
“It’s a decision I make with deep feeling, but with great serenity.
“I have been king of Spain for almost 40 years and, during that time, I have always wanted the best for Spain and for the Crown.” tricked into handing over their log-in details and password.
The Cabinet Office said a criminal investigation is being led by the National Cyber Security Centre.
A spokeswoman said: “There is an ongoing criminal investigation into how the documents were acquired, and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this point.
“But the Government has very robust systems in place to protect the IT systems of officials and staff.”
The spokeswoman did not answer questions on whether hackers had accessed a Government or personal email account, while an aide to Dr Fox declined to comment.
An NCSC spokesman said: “We have worked closely with political parties for several years on how to protect and defend against cyber attacks – including publishing advice on our website.
“There is an ongoing criminal investigation.”