Spain’s former monarch King Juan Carlos reunites with daughters in rare appearance following self-imposed exile

King Juan Carlos has reunited with two of his daughters as the former Spanish monarch made a rare public appearance after winning the Special Prize for Political Books.

The royal, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the UAE since 2020, was in Paris on Saturday, where he was joined by his daughters, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina, as well as his grandson, Felipe Juan Froilán.

Juan Carlos was at the ceremony following the publication of his memoirs, Reconciliation, which was written alongside the Franco-Venezuelan historian Laurence Debray. The memoirs were originally published in France last November, before being published in his home country a month later.

For the event, Elena chose a pink skirt and blouse ensemble, which was paired with a salmon-coloured jacket. She completed her look with a beautiful pearl necklace. Cristina, meanwhile, opted for an elegant black dress.

In a short speech, the 88-year-old royal said that he was “always aware that no one is ever a prophet in their own land,” before adding that he was “very moved to receive this award today in the National Assembly”.

The royal was seen getting assistance as he made his way to give his speech.

Juan Carlos was also present at a luncheon held after the event, and HELLO!’s sister publication, HOLA!, reports that the former monarch barely had time to eat as fellow guests were consistently interrupting him in order to offer their congratulations.

The royal will remain in Paris until Sunday. During his trip, he is expected to pay tribute to former French prime minister Lionel Jospin, who passed away at the age of 88 on 22 March 2026. He is then due to head to Sanxenxo, Spain, for a spot of sailing before returning home to the UAE.

Self-imposed exile

Although during his reign, the royal enjoyed high popularity, he attracted controversy after it emerged in 2012 that he had undergone a private hunting trip in Botswana alongside his former mistress, Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, although she was unaware of the trip’s nature.

It was estimated that the trip cost €44,000, twice the average wage of a worker in the country at the time, and the trip came during a national unemployment crisis. Further controversy arose when his daughter, Cristina, and her husband became embroiled in an embezzlement scandal and on 2 June 2014, he signalled his intention to abdicate.

© Getty Images

However, controversy has still followed the royal, and he was implicated in a corruption scandal over Saudi-linked businesses leading to King Felipe renouncing any inheritance from his father and Juan Carlos exiling himself from Spain on 3 August 2020.

Last month, HOLA! reported that the former monarch was trapped in Abu Dhabi due to the conflict in the Middle East. A source confirmed that at the time, he was living in a hotel due to renovations being carried out on his home, as they noted: “He is better off there (in the hotel) at the moment because he is less isolated.”