This Wednesday, the Spanish crown was shaken by a scandal after a Dutch magazine, Privatepublished on its cover a series of photographs of King Emeritus Juan Carlos I kissing Bárbara Rey, a star about whom rumors circulated for decades that she was his lover. The images, dating back to 1994show the former monarch, who abdicated in favor of his son Felipe, in moments of intimacy with the artist.
From the guests to the menu: everything we know about the birthday of King Juan Carlos I of Spain
The revelation of these photos comes one day after it was announced that Juan Carlos will publish a book with his memories. The emeritus king, who retired to Abu Dhabi in 2020 after scandals related to his finances and undeclared donations, now faces a new controversial episode in his life.
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According to the magazine Private, The images were leaked by Ángel Cristo Jr., son of Bárbara Rey, with whom he has a broken relationship. Ángel himself stated that he himself took the photos when he was 13 years old, at the request of his mother, and that these would have been used for blackmail. to the monarch for financial help.
In response to the publication, Bárbara Rey declared to Vanitatis that he will take legal action against his son for having spread the images without his consent. “These photos are mine and belong to my privacy,” he said, as he prepares to take the matter to court.
Juan Carlos I, who will turn 87 in January, has lived in Abu Dhabi since he went into exile amid tax investigations, which were archived in 2022.
What will the memories of King Juan Carlos I be like?
Under the title Réconciliation -which in Spanish means Reconciliation-, King Juan Carlos I (86 years old) will publish his long-awaited autobiography on November 13, 2024. Written during the more than four years that he has resided in Abu Dhabithe emeritus covers his entire life in its 512 pages, from his childhood in Rome, Switzerland and Estoril, until his current stage in the United Arab Emirates, going through the years in which he lived with the dictator Francisco Franco.
This will be the first time that a king of Spain publishes a book of these characteristics. In an extract to which the French magazine had access Point of view, Juan Carlos I acknowledges that his father always advised him not to write memoirs, stating that “the Kings do not reveal their secrets.” However, the emeritus explains in his autobiography why he decided to change his mind: “I feel like they are stealing my own story,” he expresses with sincerity and a hint of pain.
The work, which will be released in French in collaboration with the publisher Editions Stock, includes profound revelations. According to those responsible for the publishing house, King Juan Carlos admits “their mistakes and bad decisions”, and frankly addresses his regrets, speaking “with an open heart, like someone aware that time is short and prefers to confess rather than lie.”
With this book, Queen Sofia’s husband (85) seeks to offer its version of the events and reconcile with its own history, revealing for the first time intimate and personal aspects that until now had remained in the darkness of the palaces.
“Throughout more than 500 pages, King Juan Carlos I explains his mistakes and bad choices.. He hides nothing of his regrets. “He speaks with an open heart, like someone who knows he doesn’t have much time left,” the publisher tells the aforementioned French magazine.
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