In November 1975, only two days after the death of Francisco Franco, the proclamation of the King Juan Carlos of Spainwho assumed that position for 38 years and 209 days, in a reign that had high moments and great popularity in his country and the world, but which ended marked by strong rumors of infidelity and in the midst of corruption scandals that involved him. him and his family.
A new HBO Max documentary, “Saving the King“, reveals the parallel side of King Juan Carlos, pointing out how the Spanish State protected him and hid his scandals, but also how it helped him maintain relationships with his lovers.
Women who came into the life of Juan Carlos when he was already a king and that in some cases they were discreet. In others, they threatened to tell the monarch’s forbidden secrets or even ended his reign, for which he had to go live in Dubai.
The common denominator in all, they betrayed him and found a way to make their relationship known to the world and the influence it gave them.
Although it is said that he had more than 5,000 lovers while he had a marriage with Sofía, the queen emeritus of Spain, here you can meet 3 of the most important women in the life of King Juan Carlos of Spain, his lovers and the woman who could take to the dock.
Queca Campillo: the photographer of King Juan Carlos
“I’ll call you, little kisses” is one of the phrases that King Juan Carlos dedicated it to Queca Campilloone of the women with whom he had a relationship that lasted 29 years.
The photographer for Tiempo magazine, who died in 2015 at the age of 65 due to cancer, maintained a “close friendship” for the rest of her colleagues, who usually accompanied her on coverage of the king’s activities, where not even Sofía , the queen of Spain could veto her as a press photographer.
Although she was the most discreet of the king’s lovers, after her death, her daughter Carmen released audios and part of the experience that Campillo had as Juan Carlos’s partner. This from her mother’s wish that the true relationship they had be made known.
It was within the framework of this action that Carmen gave a statement and her mother’s testimony to the HBO documentary, where audios are leaked, indicating how she went to the Palacio de la Zarzuela and also how she was the fervent protector of the king’s private image, she stated. Woman Today.
Both began their relationship when she was married, she was 28 years old and her daughter was a baby. She could contact Juan Carlos directly on her phone and did everything he asked her to protect his image, even if that meant finding out from her colleagues who was the author of compromising photographs.
Paloma Barrientos, a former co-worker of Queca, pointed to Vanitatis.
who participated in various events inside and outside of Spain, however, he stressed that when it came to covering the Royal Family, the job was made easier for the editor who went with her.
Queca ended her relationship with Juan Carlos once Corinna Larsen appeared in her life.
Bárbara Rey: The showoman who got it all
Barbara Rey is a well-known actress, star and television presenter in Spain who began an affair with Juan Carlos in the early 1980s and lasted 17 years.
“I love you very much” the king told Barbara in one of the audios where they agreed to meet in a chalet on the outskirts of Madrid that was arranged by CESID, the Spanish intelligence agency.
It was in this chalet that the couple were together and they took a photo while Juan Carlos touched a breast of the actress. It was Barbara herself who told the king that this photo existed and that if it were public it would be a scandal.
This is when Bárbara took advantage of the moment and blackmailed the king, for which the CESID paid her 25 million pesetas at the time (more than 1 million euros today) with public money and got her a contract for a star on television. Spanish.
However, this was not the only thing, since the also vedette, recorded for at least 6 or 7 years the conversations she had with the father of King Felipe, where she confided personal and political statements, as well as confidential information that she possessed. in his capacity as Head of State, reported El Mundo.
Despite the fact that the actress suffered a robbery in her home, she kept the tapes and to avoid a scandal if they were revealed, they took action on the matter.
The actress received money with an initial payment and monthly payments, but also a contract on Valencia television, which was intended to keep her away from Madrid and therefore from Queen Sofía.
Corinna Larsen: the woman who sank him
Unlike Queca and Bárbara, Corinna Larsen was the only woman for whom he Juan Carlos He considered divorcing Queen Sofia, despite the 27-year age difference with the German princess, a title she received thanks to her second husband.
They met in 2004 when she was a manager at Boss and Company, an arms company dedicated to organizing luxury hunts aimed at the super-rich public.
Although the romance was an open secret, in 2012 an event that would begin with the fall of Juan Carlos from power came to light. He had an accident and broke his hip in three places, but it was not at his house, but on a safari he was doing with Corinna in Botswana.
It was on this same trip that he killed an elephant, whose images were published and caused a worldwide scandal and one of the main crises for the Spanish Royal House, just when the country was not at its best.
That same year the King Juan Carlos of Spain transferred, from a Swiss bank, money to Corinna, 65 million euros that, according to Larsen, would have been a gift, stating “He offered me that money out of gratitude and out of love. I wanted to ensure a good future for my children and myself. I think there is one last reason: that I still had the hope of recovering,” reported El País.
Those millions of euros that Corinna received did not return them to Juan Carlos, who until 2019 would still have persecuted the German, despite the fact that the actions he carried out with her sank him and took him out of the Spanish crown.
However, he can no longer do it because Corinna would be the woman who will take him to the dock after filing a lawsuit in a London court for harassment and threats, which occurred just when the monarch gave him his money.
The play of King Emeritus Juan Carlos of Spain
in 2020 Juan Carlos left Spainwithout his wife Sofía, and settled in the United Arab Emirates, specifically in Abu Dhabi, a residence that he confirmed in March of this year, when he reported that he will continue to reside permanently in this place, El País reported.
In the letter he declared “I prefer, at this time, for reasons that belong to my private sphere and that only affect me, to continue residing permanently and stable in Abu Dhabi, where I have found peace of mind, especially for this period of my life. ” although he did not rule out traveling to Spain to visit his friends and family.
This is the place where he spent the last years the emeritus king of Spainwho did not hesitate to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London last month, where he was reunited with his wife, Sofía, and the current kings of Spain, Felipe and Letizia.
However, the visit was not only aimed at participating in the funeral of the oldest monarch in the United Kingdom, but also to send a message.
With your participation in the event, King Emeritus Juan Carlos of Spaincould demonstrate, before the London court that instructs the case of Corinna’s harassment lawsuit, that she is still part of the royal family, reports El Confidencial.
This would support the defense of Juan Carlos, after the judge in the case pointed out that the 1978 British law that grants immunity to heads of state does not apply to him, after he abdicated the Spanish crown.
A move that may or may not work in the lawsuit made by the last of his known lovers and the one that ended up sinking him into the crown.
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