Same stage, same actors, but different scenery. The second trip of King Juan Carlos to Spain, after a self-exile that began on August 3, 2020, has the same destination: the Galician coastal town of Sanxenxo, where he will arrive this afternoon after landing in Vigo on a flight from London. The difference with his stay in May of last year is that where there was overexposure there will now be discretion.
That is at least the slogan of all those who intervene, from near or far, in the stay of King Juan Carlos, including himself, who has proposed to appear in public as little as possible. He won't hide, but he won't show off either. The three or four days that he spends in the Galician town he will dedicate to training aboard the Bribón, a 6M category sailboat whose crew he is part of and with which he won the last World Cup of that modality.
His goal of revalidating the title in the competition that will take place this summer on the Isle of Wight (England) is, according to all sources, the reason why King Juan Carlos has decided to return to Sanxenxo. He wants to take advantage of the series of tests of the Spanish Championship, one of which takes place this weekend, to prove to himself that he is still fit.
King Juan Carlos, whose communication with Zarzuela runs parallel to the relationship he maintains with his son, the King, sent, it is not clear through what channel, his desire to return to Spain for the purpose described. He did not give a date, but he did receive advice to postpone his trip until after the May 28 election.
The reason given was not enough to paralyze his plans. Furthermore, taking advantage of the fact that he had planned a trip to London (United Kingdom) for these days, he decided without prior notice to organize an extension to Galicia.
The Casa del Rey, which as an organization has the mission of "serving support in whatever activities derive from the functions of the King as head of State", received the news with surprise and some discomfort. King Juan Carlos continues to be part of the royal family and all of his activities, since he himself resigned from his representation tasks, are part of his private sphere, but end up being of public interest. No one in the Zarzuela can support, but neither can prohibit, any of his activities. Only the King, both as son and head of the family, has, if not the power, at least the moral authority to ask his father for moderation in his actions and discretion in his gestures.
It already did so on May 24, 2022 when, after passing through Sanxenxo, King Juan Carlos stopped at the Zarzuela to have lunch with the family. That day, father and son had a conversation about which, to avoid speculation, a statement was issued in which it was basically stated that the King and his father had had "a long conversation about family matters, as well as about different events and its consequences in Spanish society”. The translation was that Felipe VI made his father reflect on the need to avoid situations that could harm the normal functioning of the Crown. So serious was the warning that, immediately, King Juan Carlos suspended the visit scheduled for that month of June and Sanxenxo was not spoken of again until a few days ago.
After his trip to Galicia last year, various events have highlighted that, while in Spain the figure of the emeritus king causes controversy, abroad he continues to retain his prestige and consideration. Juan Carlos de Borbón was a guest at Isabel II's funeral, later at her brother-in-law Constantino's and President Emmanuel Macron even invited him to dinner at the Élysée. People around King Juan Carlos have been convincing him of the need to recover his recognition in Spain for his essential role in the Spanish transition.
And, in these, several factors have been added: his desire to demonstrate, at the age of 85, that he can still practice water sports; his decision to work on his redemption before the citizens of the country of which he was king and the influence of those who, not always correctly, present him as a victim, sometimes of the Government, other times of Zarzuela.
The result is that all these issues have influenced the unilateral decision of King Juan Carlos to organize a journey to Sanxenxo and, back to Abu Dhabi, possible technical stop in Barcelona. A trip that began on Monday in London with dinner with a group of friends in a private club; He continued with plans to hold a meeting with Carlos III (at whose coronation, for the moment, he has declined to attend) and attend the Champions League match that yesterday pitted Chelsea against Real Madrid. Zarzuela has had no choice but to distance itself from the decisions of the king emeritus and hope that, this time, the commitment to privacy and discretion is fulfilled.
