The imminent publication of the memoirs of the emeritus kingJuan Carlos I has caused great expectation. In his book, Don Juan Carlos addresses everything from institutional matters to intimate details of his private life and his most controversial relationships.
Pilar Eyre, an expert on the Royal House, has had access to the manuscript containing Juan Carlos I's confessions. These were recorded in 1993 during a series of conversations with journalist José Luis de Villalonga. According to Eyre, that testimony is the starting point for all the books that have been written about the monarch.
A revelation that anticipates scandals
Eyre states that the emeritus king amassed assets greedily and that this weakness led him to disaster. That ambition, according to her, was the root of his later exile, the judicial proceedings, and the media crisis that struck the monarchy.
Juan Carlos I's words in the book, such as "when I was a child my father told me: 'a king must never abdicate'", take on meaning today after his abdication. His statement that "to die in exile must be the worst thing in the world" is also striking, reflecting the bitter end of his career. Both phrases reveal the weight of a life marked by decisions that ultimately distanced him from the Crown.
The new memoirs of the emeritus king, titled Reconciliation, will be released in a few months. The purpose of this publication is to address the shadows of his reign or his exile in Abu Dhabi, which have so damaged his image.
The struggle between past and present in the Royal House
The announcement of the book has sparked debates about whether Letizia will want to keep her distance from this new media spotlight. The queen has already shown caution in the face of the repeated public exposure of scandals linked to her father-in-law.
In Zarzuela, they don't want new revelations to affect the current Crown, in the midst of the celebration of Felipe VI's reign. The symbolic weight of the memoirs, beyond history, threatens to generate controversy that complicates the institutional neutrality of the royals.
The publisher points out that Juan Carlos defends his right to tell his story after more than forty years of reign and a long exile. They consider it necessary for readers, not the press, to judge his career, but the commotion has already begun.
The reason why Queen Letizia avoids keeping contact with Juan Carlos I
The return of Juan Carlos I's book brings with it passages that are compromising, especially because of their confessional tone. By admitting weaknesses and exposing intimate aspects of his life, the emeritus king reactivates a dark period that Letizia wants to leave behind. For the queen, any connection with that legacy threatens her public image and the stability of the institution.
Pilar Eyre's words reinforce a critical view of the monarch, who not only promoted democracy but also amassed wealth in a questionable manner. In Zarzuela, they are concerned that these revelations will once again focus attention on issues that Letizia considers unrelated. She has never shared the model or the decisions of the emeritus king, and she isn't willing to inherit their consequences.
That's why Letizia chooses silence and distance as her response. She doesn't want to bear the shadows of the past, much less appear as an accomplice by omission. Her firm attitude shows that she wants to preserve her institutional role apart from a narrative that could become uncomfortable for the Crown.