Royal revolution: How Juan Carlos turned communists into monarchists before scandal
JUAN CARLOS famously prevented a right-wing coup in 1981 - a move that won him support across the political spectrum, including Spain's uncompromising Communists.
Juan Carlos: Journalist discusses 'exile' of Spain’s former King
There is intense speculation over the whereabouts of Spain’s former King Juan Carlos after he announced on Monday he was leaving the country. The 82-year-old is the subject of a corruption probe centred around a high-speed rail contract in Saudi Arabia. Spain’s Supreme Court opened an investigation into his alleged dealings in the contract in June.
Juan Carlos’ departure came in the form of a letter on the Spanish Royal Family’s website.
It gave no details about his detention, but reports have circulated that he is living with a wealthy family in the Dominican Republic.
The BBC’s Nike Beake called the links “humiliating” after Juan Carlos appeared set to go down in history as a hero after manoeuvring Spain from a fascist dictatorship after the death of General Francisco Franco in 1975 to the modern democracy it is today.
He abdicated in 2014 after nearly 40 years as King following a corruption investigation involving his daughter's husband and a controversial elephant hunting trip the monarch took during Spain's financial crisis.
So pivotal was Juan Carlos’ scuppering of the 1981 right-wing coup, that he won praise and support across the political spectrum - even from the country’s influential Communist Party who despised the monarchy.
When he ascended the throne, Communist leader Santiago Carrillo predicted that the monarchy would soon make way for another Franco-like era.
Carrillo, however, gave an emotional speech following the failed coup, remarking: "Today, we are all monarchists.”
Carrillo’s role in shaping Spain’s democracy, despite his fervent Communist beliefs, has similarly been commended following the death of the country’s fascist dictator, General Franco, in 1975.
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When Carrillo died in 2012, aged 97, Juan Carlos visited his family, telling them that the Communist leader was "a fundamental person for democracy”.
It was a reference to the key role played by Carrillo in the period of political transition and reconciliation from fascism between 1975 and 1982 - the end of his leadership.
Present in Spain’s Parliament, the Cortes, during the coup, Carrillo stood up to the gun-wielding Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero Molina, an officer of the Civil Guard.
The colonel and around 200 soldiers and members of the paramilitary Civil Guard stormed the Cortes and demanded power be handed over to them, their goal to return francoism to Spain.
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When ordered to lie on the ground, Carrillo defied his hostage-taker, later recalling that “when they (the Civil Guards) then took me outside I thought they were going to shoot me, but I thought the important thing was that I should behave in a dignified way so that the scoundrels could not laugh at me and what I represented."
The right-wing group had garnered some public support, much of it based on the lie that they had Juan Carlos' blessing.
Their coup was curtailed when the King broadcast a speech later that night denouncing their actions.
He ordered the armed forces to take all the necessary measures to crush the coup, and said: "The Crown cannot tolerate in any form any act which tries to interfere with the constitution which has been approved by the Spanish people."
He told junior ministers in the national Cabinet "to constitute themselves into permanent session, to guarantee the governing of the country within civilian rules".
It effectively secured democracy in the country, winning Juan Carlos much praise.
Some 40 years later, in 2014, Juan Carlos abdicated and handed power over to his son, Felipe VI.
On hearing the news of his father’s departure on Monday, Felipe VI gave his “heartfelt respect and gratitude for his decision”.
A statement added that: ”The King wishes to emphasise the historical importance that his father’s reign represents and the legacy of political and institutional work of service to Spain and to democracy.
“At the same time, he wants to reaffirm the principles and values on which those things are based, within the framework of our Constitution and the rest of the legal system.”