Retired King Juan Carlos I turns 80
Friday, January 5, 2018 @ 7:10 PM
KING Juan Carlos I – father of thent reigning monarch King Felipe IV – celebrates his 80th birthday today (Friday), but this age milestone has not stopped him continuing with his royal engagements or closely following politics.
Since abdicating in favour of his son, the then Prince Felipe of Asturias, in June 2014, the Rex Emeritus has joined the current King in 15 engagements, has presided over more than 60 of his own – in 20 of which, he was accompanied by his wife, Queen Sofía - and has made 19 overseas trips in the course of duty, around half of which were to Latin America.
In the last year, among tributes to him from Heads of State for his long career and his eight decades of life, King Juan Carlos was hailed in Latin America as 'the best ambassador' for Spain and the 'saviour of democracy', given his role in helping restore the vote and political peace to the Spanish people after the death of dictator General Franco.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com