It has become one of the silent conditions for the return of King Juan Carlos to Spain.
Observers of the 'royal' of all stripes have interpreted the presence of King Juan Carlos at the wedding of Prince Hussein of Jordan as the beginning of the thaw or, if you like, an attempt to reconcile the figure of the emeritus king with Spain in the face of a possible return It is not the first time that the exiled emeritus has been trusted, but it is the first time that his appearance includes Queen Sofía. A fact that is not minor.
In reality, each approach of King Juan Carlos to his country has meant a test trial for his forced return: no one doubts that the emeritus will spend the last years of his life in Spain, although the question of his taxes means an added headache. He can be a tax citizen of Saudi Arabia and a resident in Madrid, at least on the days that the law allows.
The landing in Galicia in 2021 was everything that the kings Felipe and Letizia wanted to avoid: a riot of journalists and a politically incorrect emeritus. As a result, King Juan Carlos found himself back in Abu Dhabi with no official return ticket in sight. Are we facing a tug-of-war between father and son that brings an unruly emeritus to heel? Could be. What is clear is that King Felipe does not give up.
The know-how of King Juan Carlos is being tested
Obviously, King Juan Carlos could live as long as possible close to his family and in his country, in the right company. Perhaps not that of his sailor friends, since they could not contain by themselves the overflow of press and statements in Sanxenxo. Probably one of the infantas, because we saw him more than correctly on his trip to Paris with Cristina to celebrate Mario Vargas Llosa.
The acid test, however, is knowing that he is with Queen Sofía, not only the mother of her children but the figure to whom he is attached for institutional reasons. Upon her return, it would not be unusual for him to want to attend certain events on the official agenda in which he would have to coincide with her. His personal relationship cannot be reliably assessed, but his interaction in public, yes. He is in full view of all.
The quality and warmth of the interaction between Queen Sofía and King Juan Carlos have been in the spotlight of all Casa Real experts for some time. In fact, it seems that King Felipe VI allowed his father to attend the Jordanian wedding on the condition that he shows empathy with Queen Sofía. It was the first time they had met since Constantine of Greece's funeral in January.
Constantino's funeral made it clear what the treatment that King Juan Carlos gives to his still wife is: at the very least, cold. This is not only a matter of institutional decorum, but also the cause of a current of silent sadness in the family, given the ostensible lack of connection between the Bourbon grandparents.
The coldness with Queen Sofía has to hurt in Zarzuela
Obviously, it cannot be to anyone's liking to see how a loved one treats his spouse with some disdain or does not grant him the kindness and affection that would be normal. Although the Borbón family is divided into two opposing halves, it is impossible for the three siblings, Felipe, Elena, and Cristina, not to put themselves in their mother's place.
Despite the recommendations, at the great Jordanian wedding, there were more smiles from Queen Sofía than from King Juan Carlos. Pilar Eyre described her faces as "sour, grumpy, sullen, indifferent, they were a tremendous contrast to the joy and simplicity of the wedding." She, too, scrutinized them at the funeral of Constantine of Greece last January and concluded: "The interaction between them was nil and Don Juan Carlos did not direct a gesture of comfort to his wife."
"This cold behavior towards each other, even contemptuous at times, is not new," Eyre explained on her YouTube channel. The king has always behaved like this towards Doña Sofía, even in public: we have seen how he made ill-tempered signs to her or it was obvious that he was angry when she answered him. During a visit by Pope Benedict, he even hit her with her cane so that she would reposition herself on the red carpet and almost made her stumble.
On another occasion, in the cathedral of Santiago, where they went to make an offering to the apostle, the king stumbled on the steps and the queen instinctively went to help him. Thanks to a lip reader who hired the program in which he was collaborating at the time, we learned what he said to her: 'Leave me alone'”, Eyre recalled.
It is understood that Casa Real wants to neutralize these outbursts of character from the emeritus with his wife. It remains to be seen that he succeeds. At Prince Hussein's wedding in Jordan, an event plagued by crowned heads, we could see how King Juan Carlos told Queen Sofía with a lot of weariness to keep her fan, because she annoyed him.
