Photo: Carlos Alvarez/Getty; Arthur Edwards -Pool/Getty
Five years after his abdication, King Juan Carlos I of Spain is retiring from public life.
The 81-year-old royal shared his plans to withdraw from public duties in a letter to his son, King Felipe VI, according toEl Pais.
“[It was] a solemn act, full of emotion for me, that evoked, with pride and admiration, the memory of the many people who made the political transition [to democracy] possible and renewed my feeling of permanent gratitude toward the Spanish people, the true architect and leading protagonist of that transcendental stage of our recent history,” King Juan Carlos said in the letter.
King Juan Carlos and King Felipe of Spain.Carlos Alvarez/Getty
Queen Letizia, King Felipe VI, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain.A. Ware/NurPhoto via Getty
Juan Carlos’ retirement will officially begin on June 2, exactly five years after his abdication. The former Spanish king reportedly wanted to pass the job onto his son before Felipe, 51, grew old – comparing the situation toPrince Charles‘ nearly lifelong wait to be king.
He reportedly spoke to Rafael Spottorno, chief of the royal household, and said: “I do not want my son to wither waiting likePrince Charles,” according toEl Mundonewspaperin 2014.
Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock
In a rare move,Queen Elizabethpubliclybacked Charles as the next Commonwealth leaderin April 2018.
The monarch, now 93, formally asked the Commonwealth Heads of Government to appoint her eldest son as her successor of the association of Britain and its former colonies.
Queen Elizabethhas been the group’s symbolic figurehead since 1952. Leaders were expected to discuss who should follow her in the role. The position is not hereditary, but Prince Charles is expected to get the nod. (As the Queen’s firstborn, Charles is the hereditary heir to the British throne, which he will automatically inherit upon his mother’s death.)
Charles’ father,Prince Philip, alsopublicly retired from public lifein August 2017.
“The Duke of Edinburgh will no longer undertake his own program of public engagements,” a statement from Buckingham Palace read. “The Captain General’s Parade will bring His Royal Highness’s individual program to a conclusion, although he may choose to attend certain events, alongside The Queen, from time to time.”
source: people.com
