The allegation by two well-known investigative journalists that Spain’s former king Juan Carlos has a previously unknown illegitimate daughter has caused a great deal of excitement in Spain. About the question “Can that be true?” was debated for hours in TV and radio programs on Thursday. Neither the 85-year-old ex-monarch, who has lived in exile in Abu Dhabi since 2020, nor the royal family have issued an official statement. But after several hours there was an unofficial denial: Both the state TV broadcaster RTVE and the usually well-informed newspaper “El Mundo” reported that the old king had denied the claim. Juan Carlos was contacted and said: “It is not true that I have an (illegitimate) daughter.”
The journalists José Maria Olmo and David Fernández had previously published excerpts from their unpublished book “King Corp.” in the digital newspaper “El Confidencial”. made known. Juan Carlos has had an illegitimate daughter named Alejandra since the late ’70s or early ’80s, they claim. The mother is a noblewoman who is a little older than Juan Carlos. In the royal palace Zarzuela northwest of Madrid everyone knew, it said.
King Felipe VI’s father flew back to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday after a week-long stay at home. It was only his second visit to Spain after leaving in August 2020. As far as is known, this time he met neither his son and successor nor his wife Sofía (84) or other royals.
In the spring of 2022, all criminal investigations into financial irregularities against Juan Carlos were dropped in Spain. It was therefore assumed that the Bourbon, who was head of state of Spain for almost four decades until his abdication in June 2014, would end his exile. But a lot went wrong on the first home visit. The media hype and the behavior of the old king, which was criticized as “immodest”, caused unease in the royal family and the government back in May 2022.
