• Gifts.Mohamed Bin Zayed, the controversial gift prince of Ferraris to King Juan Carlos
  • Royal House The King's House confirms that Don Juan Carlos is in the United Arab Emirates

A discreet and armored refuge. An emirate where everything is watched, no one speaks without permission and a legion of foreigners work under the orders of its wealthy rulers. This is Abu Dhabi, the land that - faced with the illness of its emir, a victim of a stroke in 2014 - governs with an iron fist by its 59-year-old crown prince Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, better known outside the city as MbZ. Since December 1971, when the United Arab Emirates was born, Abu Dhabi - the largest and richest of the seven emirates, thanks to its oil reserves - has been the administrative and political capital of the country. In its confines - less lively than those of neighboring Dubai, the queen of parties and nightlife in the Emirates - Juan Carlos I has resided since August 3.

His stay had been, until now, a secret protected by the privacy that is presumed in the obedient and arid Abu Dhabi, where human rights and civil society are a true mirage. In these last two weeks, the Abu Dhabi communication cabinet has shunned requests for information made by EL MUNDO about the presence of the emeritus king in one of the most opulent cities on the planet, with 1.5 million inhabitants and a population indigenous that hardly exceeds 21 percent. Mana has attracted expatriates from around the world - although not all receive the same exquisite treatment. It is managed by the Al Nahyans, one of the richest royal families in the world, owner of 97.800 million barrels of oil and one of the most powerful sovereign funds, with assets that exceed 830,000 million dollars - among others, majority shareholder of the Spanish Cepsa-.

Juan Carlos I has spent two weeks sheltered from the unlimited luxury dispensed by the Abu Dhabi monarchy, presumably accommodated in the jewel in the crown of the emirate's hotels, the Emirates Palace, on the shores of the bay and a stone's throw from the palace presidential. "Thank you for your request. Regarding the question raised, please note that, in compliance with company policy, we do not provide information about our guests," they slide from the accommodation's public relations department. Inaugurated almost three decades ago, the Emirates Palace is one of the most exclusive hotels on the planet . With a budget of $ 3 billion, it boasts of being the third most expensive construction, second only to establishments in Las Vegas and Singapore. Its employees exercise the same discretion as the management of the business, owned by the emir and managed since the beginning of this year by the Hong Kong multinational Mandarin Oriental. Asked by this newspaper, several workers from different hotel departments have refused to confirm that the king is staying in its imposing facilities. None, however, deny that Juan Carlos is not one of the guests.

Exterior of the Emirates PalaceF hotel. CARRION

"If there is no statement that denies it, it means that it is true. This is how they work," a source with good contacts in the emirate confesses to this newspaper. If confirmed, the emeritus has established his temporary residence in a reddish mass inspired by Muslim architecture and the Arab desert that is dominated by a colossal dome. The Emirates Palace has 394 lavish rooms. The cheapest one - with views of the city's skyscrapers, much more modest than those of neighboring Duba - costs 300 euros per night. The most expensive suite, a 140-square-meter room with a jacuzzi, is offered for around 2,000 euros, but there are other rooms with higher prices, which are not advertised on the website.

The Emirates Palace has become the hotel of top foreign leaders and emissaries, businessmen and celebrities. In February 2019, in its labyrinth of gold and marble, the United Arab Emirates held the Conference of the Fraternity, an international appointment that Pope Francis attended on a fleeting trip that the regime sold as an example of its religious tolerance despite ban the building of church steeples and Christian proselytism. EL MUNDO was one of the media that covered that event and was able to visit the facilities, then taken by Buddhist cassocks, turbans and robes. The attic of the building, the most inaccessible area, has half a dozen suites reserved for dignitaries and members of foreign royalty. The hotel also has a 1.3 kilometer private beach, two heliports and a careful selection of international restaurants.

Those who were suspicious that Juan Carlos had set sail for Abu Dhabi argued that it was somewhat implausible and reckless for the king emeritus to return to the region from which part of his recent ordeal came, caused by the alleged commissions he received for the concession of the AVE to Mecca or the generous gifts dispensed by the monarchies of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman or the United Arab Emirates. The crown prince of Abu Dhabi himself gave him two Ferraris valued at 700,000 euros as a gift in 2011. Oblivious to all these cabal, the emeritus' golden "exile" in Abu Dhabi coincided with the outcome of negotiations marked with the same secrecy as that of his arrival and stay, the historic establishment of relations between the Emirates and Israel, taking advantage of the close friendship of Abu Dhabi with Donald Trump. One more achievement for MbZ, which has shaped the turbulent Middle East at will with the sponsorship of a coup in Egypt; the uncertain openness in Saudi Arabia or the dispatch of mercenaries to the very poor Yemen. "MbZ has managed to maintain good relations with its western allies. The typical behavior of the Emiratis is always to test the waters to see the reaction of their western partners and, according to the response received, decide", explains to THE WORLD Ryan Bohl, expert of Stratfor.

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