Juan Carlos I: a wounded and resentful king
In his memoirs, the emeritus king portrays himself as someone obsessed with money and addicted to luxury.
BarcelonaThe publication of Reconciliation The memoirs of Juan Carlos I, published by Planeta, have caused unease at the Zarzuela Palace not only because of the controversial opinions he expresses (for example, his praise of Franco) but also because he openly displays his resentment towards those who forced him to leave Spain, as well as his taste for luxury and money.
An unjust punishment
"I am the only Spaniard who does not receive a pension after almost 40 years of service."
The reason behind writing his memoirs is that Juan Carlos I feels unfairly treated. "I have gone from being a king in his Palace to a pariah on the other side of the world," he notes about his exile in the United Arab Emirates. "I am wounded by a feeling of abandonment," he adds. This resentment is especially acute regarding financial matters: "I am the only Spaniard who does not receive a pension after almost 40 years of service and who is prevented, while still alive, from leaving a legacy to his son and descendants," he complains. "Is this legally valid?" he asks.
The central thesis of the book is that all these reprisals against him have been a mistake. "By attacking me, it is not my person who is being attacked [...] but the institution of the Crown. By denigrating it, the State, the unity of the country, and its democratic foundations are harmed. The current government seems pleased," he concludes laconically.
A gift of 100 million
"For thousands of years, kings have exchanged gifts as a gesture of friendship, alliance, and mutual aid."
"I admit that $100 million is a considerable sum. It was a gift I couldn't refuse. A grave mistake. It would have allowed me to provide for the needs of my wife, Sofia; my two daughters, Elena and Cristina; and his six children, recently excluded from the Royal Family, without having to worry about my own needs." With these words, the former monarch wavers between self-criticism and justifying why she accepted the gift from the late Saudi King Abdullah, which he presents as an "act of generosity" and not as a commission for the high-speed rail project in Mecca.
"For thousands of years, kings have exchanged gifts as a gesture of friendship, mutual support, and loyalty. It's part of a form of diplomacy, just like marriages," he justifies. Therefore, no apology whatsoever. Furthermore, he explains that in 2011, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed of the UAE gifted him and his son two Ferraris, but that Patrimonio Nacional (National Heritage) sold them, something the Emirati heir considered an insult. In another passage of the book, he also admits his fascination with high-performance cars and recalls his father's Bentley.
The obsession with money
"I grew up in a world where money flowed more easily."
Throughout the book, it's very clear that Juan Carlos I doesn't quite understand why he has to give so many explanations about his money. "I was raised in a world where money flowed more easily, where donations and gifts to support our family were the norm," he explains. "Nowadays, we have to justify everything; it's not the world I grew up in," he complains. And he points directly to the Tax Office, which he accuses of subjecting him to an "insatiable search for any reason to incriminate him." This includes him and even the friends who lent him money to regularize his tax situation. And of course, he nostalgically recalls the time when the media didn't talk about any of this: "Back then, both in the media and in society, there was a certain humor and a cheerful, carefree detachment towards me," he states.
Juan Carlos laments that the Spanish Royal Family is the only one without assets and that the budget allocated to it is low compared to other countries ("How was I supposed to support my family without property or a house?" he wonders). And all this for a 24-hour-a-day job that leads him to write: "I restored freedom to the Spanish people, but I was never able to enjoy it myself."
Life in Abu Dhabi
"For the first time in my life I had a home and could decide how to arrange the furniture"
Juan Carlos I explains that he went to Abu Dhabi accompanied only by his "loyal butler" and a security team. "I was very happy when [Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed] found me a residence, still on the island of Nurai, facing the sea. For the first time, I had a home. I could decide how to place the furniture and how to organize things. I made the open kitchen the heart of the house; I loved having a room dedicated to ... the wall"To follow sporting events and watch movies," he recounts.
This is the kind of detail that demonstrates the obliviousness of someone who believes Spain owes him its democracy and that his mistakes are nothing more than minor sins. Someone convinced that he has done nothing he hasn't already done, that the monarchy and luxury should follow the example of his predecessors. That's why he wonders if "things would change with another government."
