Spain’s former king Juan Carlos has gone into exile following the launch an investigation into his finances by state prosecutors.
“It is a humiliating exit for a king who had once seemed set to go down in history as the leader who skilfully guided Spain from dictatorship to democracy after the death of General Franco in 1975,” says the BBC.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The former king announced yesterday that he was leaving, “a decision I make with deep emotion but great serenity”, in a letter to his son and successor, King Felipe VI. Juan Carlos wrote that his departure would “best serve the people of Spain, its institutions, and you as king”.
The abrupt exit was prompted by “the opening of a supreme court investigation into suspected payments related to a €7bn [£6.3bn] high-speed rail project in Saudi Arabia”, the Financial Times reports. The contract to build a rail link between Mecca and Medina was awarded to a Spanish consortium in 2011.
Prosecutors in Spain and Switzerland are investigating links between that deal and “documents that allege Juan Carlos may have received $100m [£77m] from Saudi Arabia's king in 2008”, says CNN.
In the meantime, life as an emigre may come easily to the former king. “He was born in exile as well, in Rome,” says the Financial Times, “and served as Spain’s king for almost 40 years, starting upon the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.”
Although Juan Carlos was celebrated for his role in establishing democracy and thwarting a military coup in 1981, his reign ended in ignominy. He abdicated in 2014 “following a corruption investigation involving his daughter's husband and a controversial elephant hunting trip the monarch took during Spain’s financial crisis”, the BBC reports.
-
Why has the U.S. scaled down its stance on human rights?Today's Big Question The Trump administration has curtailed previous criticisms of human rights violations
-
August 14 editorial cartoonsCartoons Thursday’s political cartoons include Donald Trump and JD Vance at a summit, Putin's 'peace' plan, and Jeffrey Epstein haunting the White House
-
Weapons: Julia Garner stars in 'hyper-eerie' psychological thrillerThe Week Recommends Zach Cregger's 'top notch' new film opens with 17 children disappearing at exactly the same time
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Why are Ukraine's anti-corruption issues roaring back into focus now?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION A new bill curbing anti-corruption bodies prompted Ukraine's first mass protests against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in years. Where are the roots of this domestic unrest, and what could it mean for Ukraine's future?
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
