A GAME OF THRONES
Town & Country US|September 2022
Juan Carlos I of Spain was once the model of a modern European constitutional monarch. Then came the fall. A tale of fathers, sons, mistresses, and money.
JOSHUA HAMMER
A GAME OF THRONES

The Royal Club Náutico, in the resort of Sanxenxo, a curving strip of white sand beach on Spain's Galician coast, is a major stop on the international sailboat racing circuit. But the hundreds of journalists who mobbed the port on May 20 hadn't come to admire the yachts competing in the 2022 Spanish Cup. The object of their attention was an octogenarian sailor sporting salmon-colored chinos and a pink baseball cap: Spain's former king, Juan Carlos I. Having abdicated the throne in 2014, then gone into exile under pressure from his son, King Felipe VI, in 2020, he had chosen this moment for his first trip home from his current residence, an islet off the coast of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.

The Casa Real, as the Spanish royal house is known, hadn't wanted Juan Carlos to come home at all. "He's seen as a burden," says José María Irujo, an investigative reporter for El País, Spain's largest newspaper, who exposed a series of suspicious gifts to Juan Carlos from billionaire benefactors that were funneled over the years into secret bank accounts, including one belonging to his socialite mistress. An investigation into his finances by Swiss prosecutors, launched in 2018, ended in December 2021 with no charges filed. Three months later Spanish prosecutors dropped their own probe, citing "a lack of incriminating evidence, the statute of limitations, [and] the inviolability of the head of state."

This story is from the September 2022 edition of Town & Country US.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2022 edition of Town & Country US.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM TOWN & COUNTRY USView All
Wake Up and Smell the PALM TREES
Town & Country US

Wake Up and Smell the PALM TREES

In Palm Beach, second homes are the new first homes. For Tommy Hilfiger, Coral House is much more. After 40 years of running a fashion empire, he's shifting gears and staying put for a while.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Bite Me!
Town & Country US

Bite Me!

Perfumes with sweet notes of vanilla, cocoa, caramel, and honey are a guilt-free indulgence. Join us in the dining room, won't you?

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Battle for the Soul of SKIING
Town & Country US

Battle for the Soul of SKIING

Lift lines are interminable and slopes are packed. Meanwhile, wealthy resort owners have been making their mountains semi- or entirely private. Can the original gonzo-glamorous sport survive its new highs and lows?

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Kingdom Come
Town & Country US

Kingdom Come

Kelly Reilly has become a sensation for her turn as Yellowstone's Beth Dutton, the deliciously wicked daughter of a Montana cattle baron. Now, as the family saga reaches its dramatic finale, the actress is ready to shed her alter ego. Or is she?

time-read
9 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Town? Country? YES.
Town & Country US

Town? Country? YES.

A new Charleston hotel makes it plain: This place is made for traveling, happily between worlds.

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Escape from the WHITE BOX GALLERY
Town & Country US

Escape from the WHITE BOX GALLERY

Art collectors, stifle your yawns and

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Escape to WHERE TOURMALINES SPEAK LOUDER
Town & Country US

Escape to WHERE TOURMALINES SPEAK LOUDER

Desperate to mute quiet luxury?

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Escape WORTH AVENUE
Town & Country US

Escape WORTH AVENUE

Can't stomach yet another lunch at BiCE?

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024/January 2025
Escape to THE MIND OF ELSA
Town & Country US

Escape to THE MIND OF ELSA

Are you over every influencer wearing, the same uninspired trinkets?

time-read
1 min  |
December 2024/January 2025
Escape to SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
Town & Country US

Escape to SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Are you ready for lapels featuring something other than political posturing?

time-read
1 min  |
December 2024/January 2025