Juan Carlos of Spain: warned Sofia of a possible divorce

Infidelity, intrigues and threats: a new biography offers insights into the unhappy marriage of Sofia and Juan Carlos of Spain.

To say that Juan Carlos of Spain (82) and his wife Sofia (82) aren’t exactly having a postcard wedding is still very polite. Over the decades, the retired king cheated on his wife several times and even very publicly, she felt humiliated in public. Otherwise, the couple should have little to say to each other and usually go their own way. However, there was never a divorce. The new biography “Yo, el Rey” (German: “Ich, der König”) about the former monarch, written by Spanish royal expert Pilar Eyre, offers a new look behind the scenes of the broken relationship.

She also thinks she knows why Sofía never left her husband despite everything. The question of a separation in the late 1970s would have been particularly acute. The trigger for the confrontation between the spouses was the infidelity of the regent. But Juan Carlos is said to have threatened his wife who, in the event of a divorce, would take the title of queen and deny her access to her son Felipe (52). “Vanitatis” reports in advance from the book.

His infidelities were not the only scandals that scratched the image of Juan Carlos. We’ve reviewed his biggest missteps for you in the video below.

© JOHN THYS / AFP via Getty Images; BUNTE.de

Sofia of Spain fled to India from her husband’s infidelity

Sofia already knew about her husband’s affairs, but according to the author, she witnessed an accident firsthand in the late 1970s. At that time she is said to have followed her husband in one of her “fugitives” and caught him red-handed. “Sofía opens the door. She sees a huge old-fashioned bed, a pile of clothes on the floor, two bodies, the face of a screaming woman … She recognizes her”, so the biography describes the scene in an impressive way. The accident was unbearable for the queen at the time.

Sofía then went with her children to India, where her mother lived at the time. She wanted to punish her husband. She took her daughters Elena (56) and Cristina (55) with her and her son Felipe because she thought this would hurt her husband more. “He doesn’t really care about the girls, but taking the heir … is a stab in the heart,” Eyre explains the king’s feelings. Sofia is said to have been thinking about a separation at the time.

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Juan Carlos of Spain
Life with lover and wife: that’s how he organized both

There is no peace in the Spanish court. First Juan Carlos went into exile from Spain, now his ex-lover Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein has unpacked in an interview.

Juan Carlos of Spain with a clear threat to his wife

It is said that Juan Carlos was so angry at his wife’s action that he called his mother-in-law in India and left a message for Sofia. “Tell Sophia I’m getting tired of this little act. I don’t care if she comes to India with you. She should say goodbye to her being a queen. I’ll have the marriage canceled and say she won’t. He was convinced he was becoming a Catholic. And Felipe stay with me! “, Reads the book.

History shows he has never gotten this far. But it doesn’t seem like a happy marriage. The only thing they have in common is a desire to secure succession to the throne with a male descendant. What is left of their relationship after this desire was satisfied appears to be mostly bitterness and deep aversion.

Juan Carlos of Spain is now in exile with a lover after a financial scandal. Meanwhile, Sofia seems to have easily postponed the memory of her husband.

© Carlos Alvarez / Getty Images, imago images / EFE Agency; BUNTE.de

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