For a few minutes it was almost like before.
The crowd at the Sanxenxo marina cheered Juan Carlos with applause and shouts of “Viva España” and “Viva el rey”.
For the first time in more than two years, the emeritus monarch appeared in public again on Friday afternoon: he shook hands, hugged friends and enjoyed the warm welcome, even if the eighty-four-year-old clearly found it difficult to walk with a cane.
After 654 days in self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi, the former king returned home and headed straight out across the Atlantic.
He will only meet his son Felipe and his wife Sofía on a short visit to Madrid on Monday before flying back to the Gulf.
In the Zarzuela Palace, where he lived for half a century, Juan Carlos no longer had a bed waiting for him, only a family lunch.
King Felipe and the government continue to keep the monarch, who has reigned for 39 years, at a distance.
All investigations closed
Apart from his daughter Elena, who was the first to hug him on the stairs of the plane after landing on Thursday evening, it was his sailing friends who gave Juan Carlos a warm welcome.
After his abdication, they became his new family, with whom he spent more time than with Sofía, Felipe and the grandchildren.
His friend Pedro Campos drove him from the airport directly to his house.
Juan Carlos used to be a frequent guest of the President of the Royal Sailing Club of Sanxenxo.
He spent his last night in Spain at the beginning of August 2020 in the Campos estate before secretly leaving for Abu Dhabi so as not to be a political burden on his son.
In Spain, all investigations against Juan Carlos, who has also paid part of his tax debts, have now been dropped.
His rich friends not only helped him with back payments to the tax office.
Apparently they also chartered the Gulfstream G450 business jet for him from an Angolan company.
According to estimates, the outward flight cost more than 50,000 euros – just so that he could be in Sanxenxo in time for the regatta.
Thousands followed the flight to Vigo, which lasted almost eight hours, on the online portal "Flightradar 24".
"Welcome to Spain, Your Majesty," an air traffic controller reportedly called out to him over the radio as Juan Carlos entered Spanish airspace.
But the monarch is not so welcome to many Spaniards.
They perceived his move to the Gulf as an escape from justice.
A humiliation for Spanish democracy
The government in Madrid and allegedly also King Felipe had wished for a more discreet first home visit.
"All Spanish citizens deserve an explanation," demanded Economy Minister Nadia Calviño.
The emeritus monarch should only return to face Spanish judicial authorities, said Social Rights Minister Ione Belarra, who belongs to the left-wing alternative Podemos party.
The fact that Juan Carlos went unpunished was "humiliating for Spanish democracy".
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and other members of the government had previously demanded an apology for his financial and private affairs, in which he had proved anything but exemplary.
That's another reason why he wasn't allowed to stay overnight in the Zarzuela Palace, which is not a private residence but the official seat of the Spanish head of state, as it was said in Madrid.
So far, Juan Carlos had only regretted his wrongdoing "with all his heart" in a letter to his son Felipe in March and announced that he would not live in Spain again, but only wanted to visit his country.
Juan Carlos apparently hopes that the Spaniards will gradually get used to his proximity again and that his visits will soon no longer make the headlines.
The old king is drawn out to sea.
He could be back for two weeks as early as June when the world championships in the six-meter class are held on the Galician coast.
At the helm of the "Bribón" he had won the title together with his sailing friends.
In the afternoon he only briefly visited the sailing boat and its crew at the port, but did not take the helm.
From an escort ship, he followed the competition for the Interrías Cup, the trial run for the World Cup.