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Juan Carlos I’s Memoir Published in France as He Returns to Spain, Reigniting Debate Over His Legacy

The release coincides with 50th‑anniversary preparations that will proceed without the emeritus king.

Overview

  • Reconciliación, co‑written with Laurence Debray, goes on sale in France with a Spanish edition due December 3.
  • Juan Carlos acknowledges extramarital relationships as “some slips” and calls accepting a $100 million Saudi gift a grave mistake.
  • He recounts a personal rupture with Felipe VI after the current king renounced his inheritance and cut the annual allowance, telling him, “This announcement means you reject me.”
  • The former king revisits the accidental death of his brother as a lifelong trauma and offers warm assessments of Franco that have drawn political criticism.
  • PSOE figures, including Patxi López, fault passages praising the dictator, as the Royal Household excludes Juan Carlos from official 50th‑anniversary events and he spends the week in Sanxenxo for regattas.