The announcement that he was leaving the country was published on the Royal Court's website in the form of a letter from the former monarch to his son, Spain's current King Felipe VI.

It said, among other things, "I inform you of my deliberate decision to move, during this period, from Spain".

Charges: Received $ 100 million

The corruption allegations include that Juan Carlos received $ 100 million from the Saudi king for a contract for high-speed trains. The information was first published in the Swiss media.

Through his lawyer, the 82-year-old former monarch has repeatedly denied the allegations.

In March this year, King Felipe announced that he did not intend to receive any money from his father and at the same time he also withdrew his father's scholarship. It in an attempt to distance the royal family from the former regent's scandals.

Appointed by dictator Franco

Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 after nearly 40 years on the throne. He was appointed by Francisco Franco and took office in 1975, just two days after the dictator's death. Despite Franco's desire for the dictatorship to live on, the king played an important role in making the country a democracy.

He was a popular monarch for a long time, but in the years before he left the throne, his popularity had declined after various scandals, including an ex-mistress and elephant hunts in Botswana.