Posted in: 19/09/2022 – 15:44
London (AFP) – Spain’s King Felipe VI, his father Juan Carlos I and their wives sat side by side at Westminster Abbey in an unprecedented public rapprochement since the former king moved to the United Arab Emirates in 2020 over investigations into his wealth.
The King of Spain, who sat in the site designated for the royal families, near the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, was wearing his military uniform, while his father wore a black suit, white shirt and black tie, while their wife was dressed in black.
They were last seen together in January 2020 during the funeral of one of Juan Carlos’s sisters.
The former king voluntarily moved to the Emirates a few months later due to suspicions of corruption related to his wealth. Then his son took a distance from his father.
The two arrived separately at Westminster Abbey, as was the case during a party hosted by Britain’s King Charles III. Juan Carlos, 84, who underwent knee and hip surgeries in recent years, was walking with difficulty.
Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014 in favor of his son, received an invitation from the British government. But the Spanish government insisted that the representative of Spain at the funeral is King Felipe VI.
“It is clear that the (Spanish) head of state is King Felipe VI,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Al-Paris told reporters, while the former king “came to London in a personal capacity after receiving an invitation.”
© 2022 AFP