Juan Carlos memoir: disgraced ex-king of Spain to tell his ‘truth'
The book, titled Reconciliation and written in collaboration with Laurence Debray, a French author, will be published on November 12, ten days before the 50th anniversary of Spain's parliamentary monarchy.
Juan Carlos, 87, served as king of Spain for nearly 40 years and led the country as it transitioned to democracy after Francisco Franco's dictatorship. He abdicated in 2014 after several scandals, including a corruption investigation involving his daughter and her husband and anger that he had gone on a hunting trip to Botswana while his country was in financial crisis.
The memoir will be his account of pivotal events in modern Spanish history, including an attempted military coup in 1981.
Debray, who had already written a biography of Juan Carlos, spent nearly two years visiting him in Abu Dhabi, where he lived in exile after investigations were opened into his financial affairs.
'One day we talked, the next I wrote, and then he read and corrected,' Debray told El País. 'He is meticulous, serious and hardworking — far from the merely jovial image many Spaniards have of him.'
Juan Carlos contacted Debray after reading articles she had written emphasising his role in Spain's transition to democracy after Franco's death in 1975.
Encouraged by Juan Carlos, Debray moved to the UAE in 2022 with her husband and children to start work on the book. Despite lacking access to his personal archives — which are still at La Zarzuela Palace, the royal residence outside Madrid — Juan Carlos provided material through friends, family and trusted contacts. 'It was disappointing not to access the archives, even those of his father, Don Juan,' Debray said.
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Although she was careful not to reveal specific content, Debray promised that the memoir captured the breadth of Juan Carlos's life, from his royal childhood in exile to his role in the democratic transition and the controversies that tarnished his legacy. The title Reconciliation, she said, encapsulated his wish for Spaniards to view their recent history with pride.
'This isn't a book written to stir controversy,' she said. 'It's a personal account. It may not unveil new secrets, but it allows Juan Carlos to tell his truth — for the first time, in his own voice.'
Debray hopes that the memoir will prompt reflection. 'Juan Carlos remains one of the last great political figures of the 20th century,' she said. 'This is his story — and Spain's.'
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Juan Carlos was protective of his son, Felipe VI, Debray said. 'He is his first fan … and it's moving to see how he supports him and wishes him all success,' she said. Every morning, she said, Juan Carlos read all the Spanish newspapers and commented on his son's performance as king, she said, adding that he was 'hurt' by the loneliness of exile.
Juan Carlos once became annoyed with her, she added, because she could not understand his pride in Felipe's education, which included a bachelor's and a master's degree. 'As a somewhat arrogant French woman, I told him, 'Well, it's not like [Felipe] went to the École Normale Supérieure',' she said. 'He got angry with me. It touched his fatherly pride.'
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