The interview with the emeritus king is a fraud

This Wednesday, Juan Carlos I broke his silence in an interview on the program Secrets of history From France 3. Twenty-five minutes that pretended to be a unique opportunity but, in reality, didn't even come close to addressing the important topics the character should have been discussing. A sham conversation. They titled it The confidences of a king fallen from graceBut no confidences were shared. And even less about misfortunes. Everything was carefully orchestrated, but, to maintain tradition, it's a farce tailor-made for the monarch.

French journalist Stéphane Bern, a popularizer specializing in royal history and genealogies, travels to Juan Carlos's residence in Abu Dhabi to speak with him. The setting is an elegant salon, with the coldness of polished marble, which conveys an aseptic and distant atmosphere. They sit opposite each other. Bern wears a tie, and the emeritus king does not. A calculated decision to diminish any pretense of formality in the conversation. The rigidity of Juan Carlos's facial expression seems to be the result of some cosmetic procedure.

The interview is conducted entirely in French. The first half covers his childhood, his relationship with Franco, his coronation, the transition process, and the coup d'état. From minute 13 onward, there is a suspicious time jump. We jump from 1981 to 2008 abruptly: "You restored democracy, but instead, when they talk about you, they talk about financial, tax, and sentimental matters..." romantic entanglements that have tainted the Crown's management. Juan Carlos responds with victimhood: "I'm used to it. Everyone can think what they want, but it's all sorted out, it's all over, and I'm at peace." A response that, in a single sentence, erases decades of opacity and abuses of power. Bern's subservience is grotesque when he mentions that the memoirs accuse him of having "too sensitive a heart." The emeritus king responds to aYes"As discreet as it is ridiculous.

The use of scissors in editing the interview seems obvious when Bern hints at the possibility of self-criticism. Juan Carlos responds laconically.

–Do you reproach yourself for anything?

–No.

–No.

–But if I had to do it all again, I would pay more attention.

–Of course I would.

and it expires, with an unusual mention of the Barcelona Olympic Games as if it were a disc requested to hang a medal on. Unheard of. We have gone from the guillotine to the facial massage."