The recent publication of former King Juan Carlos I’s memoirs and the upcoming 50th anniversary of his coronation have reignited a contentious debate about his enduring legacy in Spanish history. A left-wing Spanish party, Más Madrid, has a clear stance: it’s time to erase his imprint due to the scandals that plagued his final years at the Zarzuela Palace. Through the Sumar Parliamentary Group, Más Madrid will present an initiative in Congress to strip Juan Carlos I’s name from universities, hospitals, and even streets and avenues. This proposed total erasure, almost as if he never existed or played a relevant role in the Transition, is unlikely to succeed given the respect for the monarchy held by the mainstream political parties.
A Coherent Move Amidst Exclusion?
Más Madrid considers this move to be logical, especially in light of the fact that Juan Carlos I himself has not been invited to the 50th-anniversary celebration of his coronation, which will take place in Congress on Friday. While the current King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, along with their daughters Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, will attend, the former King’s absence carries significant symbolic weight. Juan Carlos I is expected to spend that day far from any festivities, in Abu Dhabi, where he has sought refuge in the twilight of his life.
For Más Madrid, consistency dictates that all institutions bearing his name, of which there are many, should be stripped of it. “Updating these symbols in accordance with the principles of integrity, exemplarity, and public ethics is essential to strengthen democratic credibility and advance a coherent public memory,” the party explained in the initiative, scheduled for presentation this Tuesday. They further add, “He has not been invited to the ceremony, an exclusion that reveals the clear institutional distance that the State itself and public powers have established regarding his figure.”
The King’s Perspective: A Wounded Man
In his memoir, titled Reconciliation, published in France and set to be released in Spain in two weeks, Juan Carlos I portrays himself as a wounded man, aware of some of his mistakes, yet believing he has been unfairly treated. “My son turned his back on me out of a sense of duty,” he recounts in an excerpt, recalling a meeting with King Felipe VI in 2020 after investigations into his millionaire accounts in Switzerland came to light. He claims to understand that, as king, his son maintained a “firm public stance.” However, a lament follows: “But I suffered from his insensitivity.”
Juan Carlos I reigned for four decades, a period that coincided with Spain’s greatest prosperity. He was proclaimed king ahead of his father, to whom the crown would have naturally passed. However, the dictator Francisco Franco, before his death, chose Juan Carlos as his successor. In 2014, he abdicated in favor of his son, Felipe VI, at a time when his image was already tarnished by several corruption cases. His health problems added to this litany of accusations, surprising many Spaniards who had idealized him.
In the book, he reveals a pivotal conversation he had with the current king during that momentous time: “Don’t forget that you inherit a political system that I built. You can exclude me personally and financially, but you cannot reject the institutional legacy in which you grew up.” He partly blames the current socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, for this estrangement, accusing him of “discrediting” his person. Sánchez, in a recent interview with EL PAÍS, quipped about this: “I haven’t read it yet, but I also tell you that it will not be one of those I recommend for this Christmas, given what has happened.”
The former king feels misunderstood, forgotten, and unjustly treated. “I have the feeling that my history is being stolen from me,” he states in the prologue. Más Madrid aims to strip him of something more: the seal of his name.
