Juan Carlos I will attend the funeral of Elizabeth II next Monday, September 19, at Westminster Abbey in London. The invitation that the Spanish embassy received from the British foreign affairs office included, in the case of Spain, the kings Felipe VI and Letizia and Juan Carlos I in his capacity as former head of state and his wife, queen Sofía . The Royal House has confirmed the attendance of the current kings in the early afternoon and left in the hands of the emeritus the “personal decision” to attend or not after having transferred the invitation to them. Zarzuela has subsequently confirmed that the emeritus kings “have communicated to the House of HM Majesty the King their intention to accept the invitation”.
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The former head of state has moved his usual residence to Abu Dhabi while Sofia of Greece continues to reside in Spain. Since he left for the United Arab Emirates stalked by investigations into his opaque fortune, King Juan Carlos has only returned to Spain once. Last May he participated in a weekend of regattas in Sanxenxo and later met his son, Felipe VI, in Madrid. Zarzuela avoided giving explanations about the conversation they had for several hours in the framework of that visit beyond assuring that they spoke “about family issues as well as about different events and their consequences in Spanish society.” Since then, the emeritus has not returned to Spain, as he intended.
Juan Carlos I’s trip to London is especially significant given that in that country there is a judicial investigation into the harassment complaint filed by Corinna Larsen. Despite this pending trial, the United Kingdom has invited the emeritus to participate in the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and in “side events” as part of the Spanish delegation. In addition to the current Heads of State and former Heads of State of Spain, he has also sent the invitations to the funeral to the delegations of Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. The crown prince of Denmark is also invited.
Queen Elizabeth II passed away last Thursday after seven decades on the throne of England. Two days later, on Saturday, her son, Prince Charles, was officially proclaimed king. This Monday he has given his first speech before the British parliamentarians, in which he has affirmed that he will reign in a “disinterested” way and with respect “to constitutional principles”.
The coffin of Elizabeth II, covered with the royal standard of Scotland, is today Monday in Edinburgh, in whose cathedral a burning chapel has been set up for 24 hours. King Charles III has arrived there from London to, together with the queen consort, Camilla, preside over the funeral procession. Tomorrow, Tuesday afternoon, the mortal remains will be taken to the British capital in a Royal Air Force (RAF) plane for the state funeral next Monday.
www.eldiario.es