King Juan Carlos turned 86 on January 5. The king emeritus celebrated his anniversary with a big party in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), where he has resided for four years; which was attended by about 80 guests. Among them his daughters, the infantas Elena and Cristina, several grandchildren and numerous friends.
This marks the first time since his departure to the Arab country in August 2020 that Don Juan Carlos has organized a massive celebration for his anniversary. A party that the emeritus justified by claiming to be in "a good moment" in his life, both physically and mentally, according to sources close to him.
Don Juan Carlos reaches the age of 86 in good physical condition, although suffering from mobility problems, which force him to walk with crutches or even with a wheelchair on longer journeys.
Don Juan Carlos had the opportunity to reunite with his loved ones, even though it was more than 7,000 kilometers from Spain. In addition to his daughters, some of his grandchildren also made an appearance at the massive party in the waters of the Persian Gulf. Froilán, who also resides in the Arab country, co-hosted the event, which was joined by his sister Victoria Federica and his cousins Pablo and Irene Urdangarín, children of Infanta Cristina.
A very special moment for the entire family, who had the opportunity to see up close and enjoy the charms of the island where the emeritus, Zaya Nurai, resides permanently. There they also celebrated the last days of the Christmas holidays, before returning to Spain. In addition, the emeritus celebrated his birthday with some of his closest friends, such as Los del Río, Manuel Piñera Gil-Delgado, Pedro Campos and Carlos Herrera, among others; who flew from Spain especially to meet him.
The party had the notable absence of the kings of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, in addition to Princess Leonor, who the day after the event had to preside over the Military Easter at the Royal Palace in Madrid. Queen Sofia was not present either, who remained in Spain.
The party began with a lunch at the luxurious Four Seasons hotel, which ended with a grand celebration in which there was no shortage of flamenco and good cuisine. A very special moment that was sealed with several speeches. The first came from the hand of one of the emeritus' great friends, Dr. Eduardo Anitua, during dinner. After dinner and blowing out the candles on the cake, with a design of her coat of arms and a photograph of Don Juan Carlos, Infanta Elena gave an emotional speech reviewing the story of her mother's life.
After the investigation by the Supreme Court Prosecutor's Office was archived in March 2022 into his tax irregularities, Felipe VI's father has been normalizing his situation, although he decided to maintain his residence in the United Arab Emirates. Just a few weeks ago, the emeritus was traveling to Madrid, to celebrate the 60th birthday of Infanta Elena, which brought together almost the entire Borbón and Grecia family.
The emeritus also attended Princess Leonor's 18th anniversary party on October 31, although he was not invited to the institutional events due to his granddaughter's swearing in of the Constitution.
