Spain’s King Felipe VI is going to Abu Dhabi to offer his condolences on the death of United Arab Emirates President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who died on Friday after a long illness at the age of 73.
King Felipe VI was accompanied by Deputy Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and European Union Luis Manuel Cuesta to express his condolences to the new President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
According to sources from the royal court, the monarch will not meet with his father Juan Carlos I, who has lived in Abu Dhabi since August 2020, after fleeing Spanish justice. Juan Carlos is under investigation for money laundering, corruption and tax evasion.
Since then, the former king has been visited several times only by his daughters, Infanta Christina and Elena, and some of his grandchildren, but not by members of the current royal family, which includes King Felipe VI, Queen Leticia and their two daughters, the heiress. Leonor and her sister Sofia.
King Felipe (right) and his father Juan Carlos
Although Juan Carlos I paid the taxes due to the treasury and the investigations against him were terminated, he has not yet returned to Spain.
In an official statement a few months ago, he said he preferred to stay in Abu Dhabi, where he would spend the rest of his life in peace.
The abdicated monarch personally thanked the late sheikh for his hospitality and friendship.
The presidents of France and Turkey, the kings of Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, will express their condolences in Abu Dhabi.
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