Confirmed: King Juan Carlos I Is in the United Arab Emirates

Spanish Royal Family Monday confirmed that the Emeritus King Juan Carlos I has been in the United Arab Emirates since early August.

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King Juan Carlos I Flees to the Caribbean to Evade Justice

On August 3, he arrived in the Arab country and has remained there ever since. His decision to leave Spain occurred amid an investigation into hidden businesses that Juan Carlos I maintained in Switzerland.

It was speculated that the monarch had chosen an exclusive neighborhood in the Dominican Republic as a temporary residence.

Others said that he had sought refuge in Portugal, hosted by one of the most important families in the country, the Brito e Cunha-Espirito Santo, long time friends with Juan Carlos.

However, Abu Dhabi has been one of the most popular destinations for the Emeritus King since his abdication in June 2014.

In 2018, Juan Carlos I was involved in a scandal stemming from a photo showing him greeting the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohamed Bin Salman.

Weeks before the photo, the CIA had accused Salman of being the main responsible for the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.

The member of the royal house left Spain amid a trial in which authorities inquire about the commissions that Saudi Arabia's King gave Juan Carlos I during the construction of a high-speed train. The money was stored in Swiss banks.

The King's decision to escape his country has revitalized international debate on the legitimacy of monarchical institutions.