After more than a year and a half in Abu Dhabi, King Emeritus Juan Carlos I hopes to return to Europe soon.

His Spanish lawyer wanted to inform him personally after the Spanish public prosecutor's office dropped all three investigations against the 84-year-old monarch.

Hans Christian Roessler

Political correspondent for the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb based in Madrid.

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It was about allegations of tax evasion, money laundering, a secret account on the Channel Island of Jersey and the transfer of $ 100 million from Saudi Arabia.

To settle old tax debts, he had previously voluntarily transferred more than five million euros to the tax office.

Prosecutors said no evidence was found that could have been used in criminal proceedings.

One reason is the immunity Juan Carlos enjoyed as head of state until his abdication in 2014.

In Madrid, it is not ruled out that Juan Carlos could only come to Spain for a short, more symbolic visit and then settle down in another European country for the time being.

This could be Portugal, for example.

The Spanish royal family has lived in exile in the neighboring country;

Juan Carlos has rich friends there.

A return to Madrid is considered unlikely.

In the Zarzuela Palace live Felipe VI.

and Letizia with their younger daughter, as well as Juan Carlo's wife Sofía, whom he has not seen since leaving in the summer of 2021.

Even before fleeing Spain, he preferred to live with friends on the Galician coast, where he went sailing.

He will clarify his return to Spain with his son, whom he does not want to burden with it.

It was important to Felipe to keep as far away as possible from the allegations of corruption against his father in order to prevent the monarchy, which had suffered greatly from the affairs of Juan Carlos, from further losing its reputation.

Most recently, in a survey, a majority was satisfied with how the monarch fulfilled his duties.

At the same time, those who prefer a republic are growing, especially among younger Spaniards.

On August 3, 2020, Juan Carlos had landed at Abu Dhabi Airport.

Back then, he secretly fled the country he once helped to become a democracy.

Juan Carlos was King of Spain for almost 40 years.

Juan Carlos wrote in his farewell letter that he wanted to "make it easier for his son to exercise his functions as king" after more and more details about the allegations of corruption against him became known.

But many Spaniards saw this as an escape, with which he wanted to avoid his responsibility before the judiciary.

Only his two daughters Elena and Cristina visited him regularly in the luxury resort on the Gulf.

The longing for Spain grew from month to month.

Shortly before Christmas and Semana Santa at the latest, rumors increased that it could reach home.

He was last seen in public last December at a tennis tournament hosted by Spaniard Rafal Nadal in Abu Dhabi.