Feijóo asks for Juan Carlos I to return, and the Royal Household leaves it in the hands of the emeritus king.

MadridThe declassification of the February 23rd documents supports the official version And it reinforces the idea that it was the emeritus king who stopped the coup. This narrative has led the People's Party (PP) to defend Juan Carlos I the very day after this documentation was made public. "I think it would be desirable for the emeritus king to return to Spain," stated Alberto Núñez Feijóo in a message on X. Sources at La Moncloa (the Prime Minister's residence) consulted by ARA (the newspaper) are passing the buck to the Royal Household. "The emeritus king can return whenever he wants. No one has denied him entry to Spain. It's up to him to return. It's a matter for the Royal Household, not the government or the leader of the opposition," sources from the Spanish government assert. Meanwhile, sources at the Royal Household have sidestepped the uncomfortable question about a possible return from Abu Dhabi, claiming it is a "personal decision" of the former monarch. The PP is clear that he should be encouraged to return. According to the leader of the People's Party, the information revealed this Wednesday should lead to a "reconciliation" of Spaniards "with the man who stopped the coup." "He himself has acknowledged undeniable errors in his career, but someone who contributed to upholding our democracy and our freedoms at a crucial moment should spend the final stage of his life with dignity and in his own country," he argued. Isabel Díaz Ayuso also defended the return of the former king. "What Mr. Feijóo has said is what the vast majority of Spaniards think," the president of the Community of Madrid asserted.

The role of Juan Carlos I in the 23-F coup attempt has been shrouded in doubt since 1981. One of the questions raised by the declassification was whether the 153 previously secret documents from the Ministries of Defense, the Interior, and Foreign Affairs would contain any evidence against the former monarch. Did he know a coup was being planned? Did he promote or endorse it? Why did he wait hours to publicly condemn it? What was his relationship with the coup plotters before and during the 23-F coup attempt? The published documents, which still leave unanswered questions, have not revealed any information that confirms the suspicions surrounding the former king; rather, they contribute to portraying him as the savior of the nation.

Five and a half years ago, Juan Carlos I moved to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), pursued by scandals of alleged corruption surrounding his fortune and personal life. Since then, the former king has made occasional visits to Spain, but has remained removed from the institutional activities of the Royal Household. His absence last November was particularly noteworthy. in the events commemorating the 50th anniversary of Franco's death and the restoration of the monarchyThroughout this time, Felipe VI has distanced himself from his father to prevent his father's tarnished image from affecting him and his daughters. However, although the current monarch avoids appearing with him publicly, Felipe VI did take advantage of the anniversary to praise his father's role in the establishment of democracy. "The firm will of the Crown contributed decisively," the monarch said.

The declassification has bolstered this narrative, the official one about the Transition, which has now led Feijóo to open the debate about the possible return of Juan Carlos I. Before doing so, the PP leader informed the Royal Household that he would publish it in X. The same sources within the Spanish government have taken the opportunity to criticize Feijóo for calling the decision to declassify the documents a "smokescreen." "We are pleased that he now finds it useful and revealing," they quipped. Regarding Sumar, the minority faction of the coalition has stated that what Juan Carlos I does is "not relevant," but rather reforming the Francoist law on official secrets.

Resentment of the Emeritus King

In the memoirs he published a few months ago under the title of ReconciliationIn his book, the former king expresses his desire to return to Spain to spend his final days. Juan Carlos I reaffirms his role as a guarantor of democracy after the Franco dictatorship and criticizes the Spanish government. The former monarch expresses resentment toward Pedro Sánchez's administration, which he blames for his estrangement from his son and the ostracism he suffers. In the book, the emeritus king accuses the Spanish government of weakening democracy every time it has allegedly criticized the king. "When the current government discredits me, it weakens our Constitution, calls into question the progress of the democratic transition and our reconciliation," he states.