King Juan Carlos I to retire from public duty five years after abdication
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 @ 1:42 PM
KING Juan Carlos I has announced his retirement from public duty from this coming Sunday (June 2), exactly five years to the day since he abdicated in favour of his son, King Felipe VI.
The Rex Emeritus (pictured left) has been considering giving up his Royal engagements since last year when he turned 80, according to a formal letter he sent to his son (pictured right) in the latter's capacity of head of State.
This idea 'was reaffirmed in light of the unforgettable commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution', HRH Juan Carlos I reveals.
The 40th anniversary was on December 6 last year.
King Juan Carlos' final official act was the presentation of the Spanish Order Awards 2019 in the San Lorenzo de El Escorial Royal Monastery on May 17, when he handed the prestigious prize to historian Miguel Ángel Ladero.
And his last Royal trip was to Chile in March 2018, accompanied by his wife, Queen Sofía, who is the mother of the reigning monarch and from whom King Juan Carlos I has lived separately for many years.
HRH Juan Carlos I was a key figure in bringing the Spanish Constitution of December 1978 into effect, spelling once and for all the end of dictatorship and the dawn of democracy, sealing the Transition process that began with the death of General Franco in November 1975.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com