Spain’s disgraced King Juan Carlos celebrated his 86th birthday with a royal-inspired party after his daughters flew to Abu Dhabi (but Letizia and Felipe stayed away)

Spain’s disgraced former King Juan Charles celebrated his 86th birthday with a lavish party surrounded by relatives – but there was no sign of Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI.

The controversial royal, who has been at the center of corruption investigations in his home country and a protracted legal battle with his former lover, celebrated his birthday on January 5 with a royal-inspired party in Abu Dhabi, where he has lived in recent years. past four years.

Juan Carlos – who abdicated in 2014 – appeared in good form as he cut his birthday cake with a Spanish coat of arms with a curved sword.

About 100 hundred guests were present, including the daughters of Juan Carlos, Infanta Elena with her two children, Felipe and Victoria de Marichalar and Infanta Cristina with her children Irene, Pablo and Johanna Zott, her son’s girlfriend.

Photos shared exclusively by HELLO! showed close friends and family celebrating the former monarch, but Juan Carlos’ eldest son and his wife were apparently missing from the fancy party.

Juan Carlos appeared elated in the company of his close friends and family – a rarity since his move to the United Arab Emirates.

Cheering friends and relatives gathered around the former king to present him with a three-tiered cake, draped with the Spanish coat of arms, made from fondant icing.

Juan Carlos’ close friends Pedro Campos, the King’s former regatta partner, restaurant owner Miguel Arias, Jeronimo Paez and Eduardo Anitua organized the party.

The four oversaw the celebration with the help of Juan Carlos’ daughters, Elena, 60, and Cristina, 58.

A charming image showed the family smiling for the cameras with a Spanish flag and a large Christmas tree in the background.

Elena’s daughter Victoria de Marichalar previously marked her grandfather’s birthday on Instagram with a family photo with the caption: ‘Happy birthday, grandfather. I love you, ‘HOLA! reported.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia were apparently absent from the lavish festivities in the United Arab Emirates

The former royal family enjoyed the company of both his daughters at this party. Pictured above from left to right Cristina Cifuentes, Victoria Federica de Marichalar y Borbon, King Juan Carlos, Felipe Juan Froilan de Marichalar y Borbon, Princess Elena de Borbon and Concepcion Dancausa in 2016

‘He [Juan Carlos] is in good health, he wants to live and enjoy,” sources told the Spanish magazine.

For a man who once enjoyed a life of unimaginable opulence and the adoration of his people, the current plight of the former King of Spain is unlikely to generate much sympathy.

Juan Carlos, now aged 86, lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates, estranged from his wife and family and facing a multi-million pound lawsuit from his former mistress. He can’t shake the pungent smell of scandal.

It’s hard to imagine that a man now best known for his misdeeds was once one of the most glamorous men on the world stage.

And he was a hero to Spaniards for rejecting the legacy of dictator Francisco Franco and ushering in a new democratic, liberal era after decades of authoritarianism.

Early in his reign, he played an important role in Spain’s transition to democracy after the rule of Francisco Franco

Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia pose with their children (from left to right) Princess Elena, Prince Felipe and Princess Cristina in Madrid in October 1973

King Felipe VI of Spain (second from left), his wife Queen Letizia (far left), their daughters Princess Sofia (front left) and Princess Leonor (front right), former King Juan Carlos I (second right) and his wife, former Queen Sofia (right) in Palma de Mallorca in April 2018

But there were also shadows, such as the shooting death of his younger brother in an accident, the adulterous bedding of hundreds of women and the accusations of financial impropriety.

It was only after the emergence of an elephant shooting spree with his former lover, the aristocrat Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn in 2012, that a previously reluctant Spanish public turned against their king.

Amid increasingly poor health, the abdication and self-imposed exile followed two years later, with the king allowing his son, Felipe IV, to take over.

The man, who remains a hero to many in Spain, faced extraordinary claims first broadcast in the Mail on Sunday that secret forces working for him broke into ex-lover Corinna’s Shropshire estate as part of an eight-year campaign to intimidate her.

In October 2023, Juan Carlos won a bid to end a £126 million Supreme Court battle with his Danish ex-lover, who accused him of spying on and harassing her.

Businesswoman Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, in her late 50s, claimed the former royal family had caused her “great mental pain.”

Juan Carlos denied wrongdoing and disputed the claims against him, arguing that they are not “viable.”

In a ruling from the High Court in London, Judge Rowena Collins Rice said the court “lacks jurisdiction to hear this claim” because it was brought against the suspect outside his country of residence.

She added that Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn “has not sufficiently demonstrated that the ‘harmful event’ she complains about – harassment by the defendant – occurred in England.”

In a statement, Juan Carlos – who resigned in 2014 – said he welcomed the judge’s decision. Meanwhile, Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn said she was “deeply disappointed”.