Just as five years have passed since one of the most drastic decisions in the recent history of the Spanish monarchy, the tense calm surrounding the Royal Family is about to explode. In August 2020, Felipe VI forced his father, Juan Carlos I, out of Spain, in an attempt to contain the reputational hemorrhage caused by financial scandals.
That exile to Abu Dhabi was sealed with a pact of silence and discretion. A pact that, five years later, the emeritus seems ready to shatter, preparing an offensive that has left Queen Letizia and the monarch himself on high alert.
Zarzuela thought they had the situation under control. The emeritus king, kept away from the media spotlight, would limit himself to sporadic and private visits, keeping a low profile in exchange for certain concessions. These visits infuriated Letizia Ortiz because her father-in-law always managed to take center stage. However, reality has turned out to be very different and much more complex. The problem is no longer just his presence at the regattas, but an information bomb with a set release date.
‘Reconciliation’: The memoir that breaks the pact of silence
November 12 will not be just any date. Juan Carlos I has decided to publish his memoirs under a title loaded with irony: “Reconciliation.” According to journalist José Antonio Zarzalejos in El Confidencial, this book is the key piece of a strategy that completely breaks the discretion agreement he reached with his son. Far from seeking a rapprochement, the work is shaping up to be a poisoned dart aimed directly at the heart of the institution.
Sources close to the Royal Household claim that the book contains at least one chapter that will be “devastating” for Felipe and Letizia. The choice of date is not accidental either. Its publication will coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Franco’s death and Juan Carlos’s proclamation as king, a symbolic moment that the emeritus seems to want to capitalize on to settle scores.
This move confirms what many feared: Juan Carlos is not only unwilling to remain silent, but he plans to tell his truth, no matter who gets hurt.
Zarzuela in check: “The king’s father is ungovernable”
The news has hit Zarzuela Palace like an earthquake. According to the same reports, Felipe VI’s circle has tried by all means to stop the publication or at least postpone it. All attempts have been useless. The response from Abu Dhabi has been a resounding no, making clear a total breakdown in communication and the control the king might have over his father.
The concern in Zarzuela is at its highest, as they describe Juan Carlos as “ungovernable,” surrounded by advisers who do not seem to look out for the good of the Crown. Figures such as businessman Abdul Rahman El Assir are singled out as a "bad influence."
This perception has been reinforced by recent and unilateral decisions by the emeritus, such as the lawsuit he filed against Miguel Ángel Revilla without consulting the Royal Household, an act that proved he acts independently and without considering the consequences.
Letizia, the most concerned
The combination of an emeritus king who feels betrayed, possibly poorly advised, and with a vengeful character, is the perfect cocktail for an unprecedented institutional crisis. The most nervous is Letizia Ortiz. The relationship between the Spanish queen and the emeritus has never been good, and that is no secret.
Juan Carlos sized her up as soon as she joined the family. This animosity extended to the press, especially the most sympathetic. Jaime Peñafiel—with whom he would later become estranged—was the most critical of the former Spanish Television journalist. He even nicknamed her among his close friends as "the Marquise of Tolosa," because "she knows everything." Letizia has not forgotten, neither has Juan Carlos. In three months, a new battle is coming.