Former Spanish King Juan Carlos was photographed leaving an exclusive private members’ club in London last night ahead of his reportedly “private lunch with King Charles”.
The controversial monarch, 85, who has been at the center of corruption investigations in his home country and a long and ongoing legal battle with his ex-lover, dined with a group of friends at Oswald’s restaurant in central London last night.
Oswald’s is London’s most exclusive private members’ club, with Prince William, Queen Camilla and Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie, among those who frequent the place.
At 11 p.m., the father-of-three – who abdicated in 2014 – was seen exiting the private club by two bodyguards.
After climbing into a black SUV, the former royal, dressed in a navy suit and pink tie, waves to the cameras from his brown leather passenger seat.
The former monarch, 85, was pictured waving to the cameras from his SUV as he left the club last night.
Earlier this month, Spain’s leading newspaper, El Mundo, reported that Juan Carlos had flown to London from his home in Dubai.
During his stop in the capital, the disgraced monarch will allegedly have a “private” lunch with King Charles.
MailOnline has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Juan Carlos joined his son, current King Felipe VI of Spain, and other members of the royal family, including former TV news journalist Felipe’s wife, Letizia Ortiz, at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral last September.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reportedly asked the king not to attend the state funeral because they wanted his son, King Felipe, to represent “the nation”.
The Spanish government described his trip at the time as “private”, and insisted that Juan Carlos’ son and daughter-in-law were the only royal representatives there in an official capacity.
After leaving London, Juan Carlos is also expected to make only his second visit to Spain since his sudden departure in August 2020.
The former king reportedly flew to the Galician resort of Sanxenxo, one of the places he visited on his first return home in May last year after moving to Abu Dhabi nearly three years ago, to take part in the regatta. .
Juan Carlos, 85, is said to be meeting King Charles for a “private” lunch during his visit to London, according to Spanish national media.
A picture of King Charles with Juan Carlos and his wife Sofia at the funeral of the late Romanian King Michael in Bucharest in 2017
El Mundo says Juan Carlos was initially planning a new trip to Spain in mid-May, but decided to advance his plans to next week because it was an ‘inappropriate date’ too close to local and regional elections on May 28.
The former royal, who is still married to his wife Sophia despite his many marital affairs, has been accused of making a pass on Princess Diana when she was just 25 during a holiday she and then-Prince Charles spent in Majorca in 1986.
Spanish royal expert Pilar Air made this claim in a 2012 book.
Diana herself denied anything untoward had occurred, but admitted that while the nymphomaniac former king was “charming”, he could be “somewhat observant”.
A 2017 book by Spanish writer Amadeo Martinez Ingels described Juan Carlos as a sex addict who claimed to have slept about 5,000 women.
Aside from his extramarital dalliances, which reportedly resulted in secret love children, the former Spanish king found himself at the center of corruption investigations and was accused of molestation by his ex-lover Corinna zu Wittgenstein-Sain in a case heard by the Court of Appeal in London. last year.
Juan Carlos was dressed in a blue suit and pink tie for an evening at the private members’ club
Prince William, Queen Camilla and Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie, are also members of Oswald’s in central London
Pictured: Juan Carlos’ guests followed him from his private organ cub in central London last night
King Juan Carlos I, cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, was invited to the late monarch’s funeral by Buckingham Palace. He is now set to meet King Charles III before May’s coronation
Former Spanish King Juan Carlos arrived at Westminster Abbey for the Queen’s funeral last year (pictured) despite a dispute over his attendance with the Spanish government.
Aside from his extramarital dalliances, which are said to have resulted in secret love children, the former Spanish king has found himself at the center of corruption investigations and has been accused of harassment by his ex-lover Corinna zu Wittgenstein-Sain (pictured in London in 2014) in a court case. Appeal in London last year
UK Court of Appeal judges ruled in December that Juan Carlos, who was king of Spain from 1975 to 2014 when he abdicated in favor of his son, enjoys immunity for the period leading up to his abdication.
Her case, which began in the High Court in London, will be heard in a trial expected later this year.
Their relationship was kept secret until 2012 when it emerged that they were on a safari together to Botswana at the height of Spain’s economic crisis.
The trip came to light after the former king broke his hip in a fall and had to be flown back to Madrid for surgery.
Juan Carlos left Spain for a luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi after Swiss prosecutors opened an investigation into bank accounts allegedly held in tax havens.
Spain has launched its own investigations based in part on information provided by Switzerland, including one about cash the former king allegedly obtained as part of his involvement in a high-speed rail contract in Saudi Arabia.
Scandals in which he was trapped left his reputation in tatters, though investigations into allegations of corruption and tax fraud were archived after he eliminated the possibility of legal action by paying off his tax debts.
Earlier this year, businesswoman Corinna zu Wittgenstein-Sain, 57, was reported to be selling her luxury home in Shropshire after telling friends she feared for her safety.
Juan Carlos – a great-grandson of Britain’s Queen Victoria – is now a tax resident in the United Arab Emirates.
