He is back. Moving with difficulty, the ex-king of Spain Juan Carlos was acclaimed Friday in the port locality of Sanxenxo, in Galicia (north-west), for his first public appearance in his country since his departure in exile in August 2020 .

Having left for the United Arab Emirates almost two years ago against a backdrop of accusations of embezzlement, the 84-year-old ex-monarch returned to Spain for the first time on Thursday evening for a brief visit of a few days which sparked criticism in the country.

But on the port of Sanxenxo, where he is to attend a regatta this weekend in which the "Bribon", the sailboat with which he had been world champion, will participate, dozens of curious people cheered and welcomed him with cries of " Long live the king, long live Spain".

A scheduled meeting with King Felipe

Moving in small steps with the help of a cane, supported by an assistant, the former sovereign, visibly moved, greeted the crowd and posed in front of the many photographers present. However, he did not speak.

Juan Carlos I, received with cries of "long live the King" and rojigualdas in Sanxenxo, before getting on the 'Bribón' pic.twitter.com/oIhdFeqMxe— EL ESPAÑOL (@elespanolcom) May 20, 2022

Juan Carlos I, who abdicated in 2014 amid scandals, will then travel to Madrid on Monday to see his son, King Felipe VI, and his wife Sofia, before returning the same day to Abu Dhabi, where he established his residence.

According to the royal palace, the ex-king has planned to return to Spain "regularly" to see "his family and friends". According to the mayor of Sanxenxo, he will return to this town in June.

Public opinion tarnished

This brief visit by Juan Carlos comes after the Spanish courts closed the corruption and money laundering investigations against him in March.

But the revelations about the opaque origin of his fortune have forever tarnished, in much of Spanish public opinion, the image of this figure adored for decades for having led Spain's democratic transition after his death. of the dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

The government of socialist Pedro Sánchez - which, according to the media, objected to his staying at the Royal Palace of Zarzuela, the official residence of Felipe VI - is still waiting for him to "explain" his conduct.

For his part, Felipe VI clearly distanced himself from his father. He had thus decided in March 2020 to renounce his inheritance and withdraw his annual allowance of nearly 200,000 euros.