The Palace in Madrid has confirmed that the former Spanish king Juan Carlos (82) is currently residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). After two weeks since he has spectacularly left Spain the public now learns about his whereabouts. There had been speculation that Juan Carlos would be in exile somewhere in the Arab world since he allegedly has close ties to business partners over there. Now it is official.

Juan Carlos abdicated the throne in 2014 over numerous scandals concerning his luxurious lifestyle and affairs. His son Felipe has taken over the Crown and is ever since trying to shield the Royal family from further scandal. His father, who still bears the courtesy title king, left his son a letter on August 3 telling him that he has to leave because of mistakes in his past. It can be assumed that this hasty step to flee Spain was because the former king Juan Carlos feared that Spanish authorities would eventually press charges against him. His daughter, Infanta Cristina and her husband weren’t immune either since both were charged because of tax evasion. She was eventually cleared of all charges but her husband received a six-year sentence.

King Felipe (52), his wife Queen Letizia (47) and their daughters Princess Leonor of Asturias (14) and Infanta Sofia (13) are currently more or less the sole representatives of the Spanish royal family. In contrast to the British royal family, the Spanish royal family has been reduced to the core with only Felipe’s mother former Queen Sofia (81), who is very popular in Spain, also representing the Crown. All other members pose a potential threat to the Spanish Crown since they are linked to too many scandals. The Spanish monarchy is compared to their other European counterparts quite fragile even though the current king Felipe and his family enjoy the Spanish people’s trust.