Juan Carlos I thanks France for the recognition: "No one is a prophet in their own land"

BarcelonaJust a month ago, Juan Carlos I decided to postpone the trip he had planned to Sanxenxo – to return to the regattas – and stay in Abu Dhabi after the outbreak of the war in Iran. Thirty days later, the conflict in the Middle East has not ended, but the emeritus king has decided to leave the Arab country where he has resided since 2020 to receive an award for his memoir book, Reconciliation. The recognition is from the French association Lire la Société, but it is still surprising that the emeritus king receives an award from a country like France, a republic that values the figure and trajectory of Juan Carlos I when the Spanish state has condemned him to ostracism.

The former monarch received the award this Saturday morning from the French National Assembly itself. There, the chamber recognized him, above all, for his role during the Transition. A role that Juan Carlos I himself has highlighted in his acceptance speech and which he wanted to contrast with the exile he has been living for some years as a result of the corruption scandals that have affected him. "I am aware that no one is a prophet in their own land and that there will always be different opinions and judgments about past events," he stated in a speech he read in French.

The emeritus has presented himself as the architect of Spanish democracy and has justified the choice of title for his memoirs: "Reconciliation is the word that best summarizes the main achievement of my political life: having promoted the reconciliation of Spain after the long dictatorship and the Civil War." In fact, he took the opportunity to thank the "politicians of the right and left" who trusted him during the Transition: "In 1975 I inherited the throne and embarked on a new era as head of state to turn the page on the dictatorship of General Franco [...] The objective was to make Spain a social and democratic state under the rule of law within the framework of a parliamentary monarchy in which national sovereignty would reside in the Spanish people."

"Weakness and mistakes"

However, he has also admitted that now that he is advanced in age, he can take stock of his forty years of reign and that the book has allowed him to "highlight the successes of these years and also the stumbles". Stumbles that he has not elaborated on, but which explain why he still lives outside the Spanish state today –"Today from afar I see the present of my people," he stated– and has been removed from the Royal Household. "I have been faithful to all the feelings and hopes that have marked my personal life, as well as the weaknesses and mistakes I may have made," he stated. This is why the emeritus considers that he could only write all the pages of his memoirs "in the first person", to explain the reasons for everything that has marked his political and personal trajectory.

The book was written with French writer Laurence Debray, who was by his side as he delivered his speech to the French Assembly, where there were political leaders, such as former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, but also figures from the Spanish communication world such as journalist and presenter Susanna Griso. Juan Carlos I was also accompanied by his daughters, Elena and Cristina, and his eldest grandson, Froilán. King Felipe VI, who has cut off official contact with his father for years, was not present.

Seville, Portugal, and Sanxenxo

The former monarch has stopped in Paris to receive this recognition for his career after visiting Portugal this week and, before that, Spain. In Seville, he attended a bullfight at the Maestranza. And looking ahead to April 15th, the emeritus king still plans to return to Sanxenxo to participate in the regatta organized by the Royal Nautical Club of this Galician municipality. Juan Carlos I had not returned to Spain since November of last year, when he attended the family lunch held at the Pardo Palace to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the monarchy.