In 2014, Spain’s King Juan Carlos abdicated the Spanish throne, making his son king. King Felipe is widely seen as a solid guy, even a sympathetic figure given all of the family drama that swirls around him. After his abdication, Juan Carlos stayed in Spain for years, but in 2020, he went into self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi. The “self-imposed exile” was because Spanish prosecutors were investigating all of Juan Carlos’s many shady financial deals which (more often than not) enriched himself and not Spain. In the years since he went to Abu Dhabi, he’s occasionally returned to Spain for holidays here and there, and made some noise about wanting to come back, but I think Felipe prefers having his father in exile. Well, Abu Dhabi is currently one of the Emirate states being bombed by Iran, because America has military and commercial assets spread across the UAE. Bad news for former kings who have been living in luxury Abu Dhabi hotel suites for the past six years.
The U.S. and Israel’s “massive and ongoing” military operation in Iran has stranded at least one former European royal in the Middle East: the former monarch of Spain, King Juan Carlos.
The disgraced former monarch — who is the father of Spain’s current ruler, King Felipe — has been living in the United Arab Emirates since 2020. However, he is now locked down as airspace in the region is closed amid ongoing military strikes in Tehran and retaliatory attacks on neighboring countries.
Sources have told the Spanish publication HOLA that the former King is “calm and safe” but added there is concern that “anything can happen.”
King Juan Carlos, 88, is currently living in a hotel in Abu Dhabi amid renovations to his home, which the source said is the best-case scenario. “He is better off there at the moment because he is less isolated,” the source added.
I’ve been following the stories of stranded Westerners in the UAE, especially Dubai. Iran bombed Dubai’s airport, and because of the ongoing bombing campaigns, the UAE is one big no-fly zone. Thousands of flights have been delayed or canceled, and thousands of tourists are stuck in Dubai, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Tons of tennis players are based out of Dubai because of the tax situation and because Dubai has spent years turning itself into a playground with abundant facilities for athletes to train and work. Anyway, from what I’m hearing, many UAE airports believe that they’ll be able to resume some of their departing flights within the next few days. I wonder if Juan Carlos will be on one of the first flights out of Abu Dhabi. Where would he go though? I doubt he would go back to Spain. But maybe Switzerland.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
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- Former King Juan Carlos I and Former Queen Sofia of Spain during the Mutua Madrid Open Masters match on day eight at Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain.May 11, 2019. (ALTERPHOTOS/A. Perez Meca) USA, UK, AUS, NZ ONLY Photograph: © Alter Photos/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 516124731, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Alter Photos/PacificCoastNews / Alter Photos / Avalon
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- King Felipe VI of Spain, Queen Letizia of Spain, Former King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Former Queen Sofia of Spain attend the National Sports Awards at Royal Palace of el Pardo in Madrid. Madrid, Spain – Thursday January 10, 2019. USA, UK, AUS, NZ ONLY Photograph: © Alter Photos/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 535053298, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Alter Photos/PacificCoastNews / Alter Photos / Avalon
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- BRIHUEGA, GUADALAJARA, 12TH APRIL 2015 BRIHUEGA BULLFIGHTING King Juan Carlos of Spain Attends Brihuega Bullfighting with Maria Dolores de Cospedal (Castilla La Mancha’s president),Image: 537904831, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World excluding Spain – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@avalon.red, Model Release: no, Credit line: Reflejos – Look/Look Press/Avalon
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- BRIHUEGA, GUADALAJARA, 12TH APRIL 2015 BRIHUEGA BULLFIGHTING King Juan Carlos of Spain Attends Brihuega Bullfighting.,Image: 537904841, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World excluding Spain – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@avalon.red, Model Release: no, Credit line: Reflejos – Look/Look Press/Avalon
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- ** RIGHTS: WORLDWIDE EXCEPT IN SPAIN ** Madrid, SPAIN – Princess Elena of Spain and King Juan Carlos attends La Beneficiencia Bullfight at Las Ventas Bullring. Pictured: King Juan Carlos BACKGRID USA 6 JUNE 2018 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Palma, SPAIN – **FILE PHOTOS** Former Spanish King Juan Carlos leaves Spain. The Spanish Royal Household has announced that Emeritus King Juan Carlos has proclaimed his intended decision to move abroad so as to not interfere the image of the Spanish monarchy due to his alleged implication in a Swiss offshore account investigation. Pictured: Former Spanish King Juan Carlos BACKGRID USA 4 AUGUST 2020 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Social media is full of angry Britons demanding that Dubai tax exiles not be rescued. Basically the UK doesn’t tax citizens who live overseas, Dubai has no income tax. So there is a whole bunch of wealthy assholes who’ve moved to this tax haven built and serviced by slaves and petrodollars and are now realizing that there are downsides to overlooking this sort of moral rot. The situation is truly testing my sympathies.
I’m tired of being asked to be the better person, to care about people who try and f*ck over their fellow humans. This isn’t an honest mistake. This is a conscious effort to avoid helping other people survive in tough times. They should use all that money they saved to figure their own way out.
Feeling a little frustrated today.
Please don’t perpetuate this myth – the British embassy asked people in the UAE to register with them so they’d know how many citizens were there, and the Daily Fail turned this into a story about how many people had registered to be evacuated. It is not true and the point is to be divisive, and it’s turning into opinion pieces almost suggesting people deserve to get bombed. I am so shocked by how irresponsible global media has been about this whole situation, including circulating pictures of fires from 5 years ago suggesting it’s a recent missile.
I’m not British, I’m Irish, I’ve been in the UAE for over a decade, I’m so impressed with the measured approach that Gulf States have taken to this war that they didn’t start while trying to de-escalate, protect their populations, and subsidise stranded travellers..
I’m not trying to leave and I don’t know any residents who are thinking of leaving so far. The people who are trying to leave are predominantly business and leisure travellers who got stranded.
This is a stressful, delicate and surreal situation – let’s not help the Daily Fail in making it worse.
Que se joda.
I’m playing my little violin for the King.
Did someone say tiny violins? 🎻🎻🎻🎻
These Gulf states are all slave holding nations as is Saudi Arabia. If I’m supposed to feel sorry for the current predicament of the wealthy western exiles, it’s not working. FAFO time.