In a dispute that threatens to widen a gap between government and monarchy, the Spanish government purportedly asked the late Queen’s cousin and former Spanish king not to attend Her Majesty’s official funeral.
Immediately after Buckingham Palace sent an invitation to King Juan Carlos I, representatives of the Spanish government clarified that King Felipe VI, the son of Juan Carlos and the current king of Spain, was their preferred choice to represent the country abroad.
According to El Debate, government authorities discreetly approached Juan Carlos I, 84, a few days ago to request that he not attend the funeral.
However, the former monarch may attend in his own capacity, without the approval of the Spanish government.
As a cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Royal Family extended him an invitation. However, photos of Juan Carlos I at the state funeral would be the first of the former king captured at a royal event since his abdication, potentially undermining the position of King Felipe VI, the late queen’s nephew.
When nearly 40 years on the throne, Abu Dhabi’s King Carlos abdicated after his daughter’s spouse became engaged in a major elephant hunting affair.
The Spanish government has urged the late Queen’s cousin and former king of Spain, King Emeritus Juan Carlos I, not to attend Her Majesty’s official funeral due to a dispute regarding his attendance.
As a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, he received an invitation from the Royal Family. The two were reportedly close as children, with the Spanish king occasionally addressing to Her Majesty.
The image depicts King Felipe VI of Spain presiding over the inauguration ceremony of the Judicial Year 2022. The Spanish government has expressed its preference for the current king to represent the country during Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
12 September, pallbearers carry Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as the hearse arrives at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
It has been revealed that the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II would be held on September 19 at 11 a.m. in Westminster Abbey, with Spanish media fueling a surge of speculation over whether King Emeritus Juan Carlos will attend.
Juan Carlos I, who abdicated the Spanish monarchy in 2014, is awaiting trial in the United Kingdom following a ruling by the country’s High Court that he lacks Sovereign Immunity in a case regarding the alleged harassment of his ex-lover.
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 58, claimed that his employees broke into her Knightsbridge apartment in order to spy on her. It is said that he dispatched Spanish agents to Britain in order to harass and threaten his former lover.
When their affair ended, the King supposedly requested the return of the items he had given her, which soured their friendship.
A separate $100 million payment from the Saudi Arabian government was probed for possible money laundering and tax evasion by prosecutors in Switzerland and Spain last year.
However, the harassment case remains open in the United Kingdom, with the prince attempting to appeal the verdict that denied him royal immunity from punishment.
During his tenure on the Spanish thrones, Carlos had multiple affairs, including one in the back of a truck parked behind the Oriente Palace, according to a new HBO documentary series.
This is hardly the only scandal in which the former monarch is involved. Spanish investigators are also investigating the alleged theft of €600,000 (£520,000) by a close Mexican friend of Juan Carlos I.
Queen Elizabeth II is shown at the Oriente Palace with King Juan Carlos.
Queen Elizabeth II kisses King Juan Carlos of Spain during a State Visit in London on April 22, 1986.
Earl of Wessex, Duke of York, King Charles III, Queen Consort, Princess Royal, and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence attend the Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of Queen Elizabeth II at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
Polling revealed that almost two-thirds of Spain wanted the king to abdicate when he stepped down, demonstrating how rapidly public opinion can change.
Juan Carlos paid a brief visit to Spain in 2022, but has spent the last two years in exile in Abu Dhabi.
According to El Mundo, the Spanish government closely monitors all of Don Juan Carlos’ international travels. The government is well conscious of the role the monarchy has played in defining the nation.
“The current head of state is Felipe VI and, like his father, he represents the existing family links between the two royal houses,” said foreign minister José Manuel Albares in a weekend interview, refuting the notion that there was a problem with the previous monarch visiting London.
Juan Carlos is accused in court documents of deploying spies to place Ms. zu Sayn-Wittgenstein under observation, hack her phones and internet, launch a smear campaign against her, and issue death threats. (She is photographed in Monaco in 2014, six months after the abdication of Juan Carlos)
The image depicts Spanish President Pedro Sanchez addressing at a press conference. His government has refuted recent claims that it does not want Juan Carlos I to attend the official funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in the United Kingdom.
Albares stated that he hopes the Spanish Government would continue to have “the closest relationship possible” with the United Kingdom following the death of the Queen, calling it “a very significant country for Europe” after the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union.
However, the Spanish foreign minister questioned the UK and Spain’s arrangement with Gibraltar, a Spanish territory annexed by the UK in 1704, arguing that the’relationship model’ between the two countries ‘has no place’ there after Brexit.
On Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth had passed away at the age of 96, marking the end of a reign marked by strong links between the Windsors and the Bourbons.
Additionally, Felipe IV, Queen Letizia, and Queen Sofa, the previous queen of Spain and wife of Juan Carlos, have received invitations from Windsor.