The book, published 11 years after Juan Carlos’ abdication, chronicles his anointment as heir to the dictator, as well as the death of his younger brother
A newly published memoir by Spain’s disgraced former king chronicle his anointment as heir to the dictator Francisco Franco, his role in saving democracy from a coup attempt in 1981 and his grief at the death of his younger brother when the two were “playing” with a pistol as teenagers.
The book, published 11 years after Juan Carlos’ abdication and exile, is titled Reconciliation, but it appears to do anything but, instead detailing how he feels abandoned and misunderstood by his son and heir, King Felipe VI, and by other close family members.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of Franco’s death but Juan Carlos, 87, has not been invited to the ceremony, further evidence of what he sees as his rejection and abandonment by both his nation and his family.
Referring to his role in defending Spain’s transition to democracy in the face of the 1981 attempted coup led by Lieutenant-general Antonio Tejero, he wrote: “I gave freedom to the Spanish people by establishing democracy but I was never able to enjoy that freedom for myself.
