Former King Juan Carlos Returns to Spain for the First Time in 2 Years amid Controversy After Exile

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Juan Carlos I of Spain returned from exile Thursday to a mix of cheers and potential controversy.

Spain's ex-king, 84, who fled Spain under a financial cloud two years ago, arrived by private flight for a weekend visit at Vigo Airfield on Spain's northwest Galician coast.

The purpose and itinerary of his four-day return, only announced officially the day prior, and essentially motivated by the former king's desire to participate in a sailing regatta — onboard a ship called 'The Rascal' — have caused considerable waves and government embarrassment.

Dressed in a blue blazer and walking with a cane, Juan Carlos was met and embraced by his daughter, Princess Elena, at the airport (who curtsied before him) alongside a crush of journalists. While the ex-king did not speak publicly to reporters, Spanish newspaper El Pais reports his weekend host, boat owner Pedro Campos, as saying the former king was "very excited" about his return.

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"He is in high spirits, very enthusiastic about returning to Spain. That is the main message he has conveyed to me," Campos reportedly said, adding that Juan Carlos was "perfectly aware" his return had generated "a lot of expectations."

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On Friday morning, the ex-king emerged by motorcade from Campos' luxury compound in coastal Sanxenxo to be greeted by the city's Mayor Telmo Martin Gonzalez with kisses while an assembled crowd of hundreds, many crying 'Viva el Rey!' ('Long Live the King!') and 'Viva Espana!' demonstrated their devotion.

Under cameras, the former king cautiously climbed onto a tender and with sailboat in tow, headed out to enjoy the weekend regatta's sea trials.

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Before returning to Abu Dhabi on Monday evening, Juan Carlos will visit for a few hours in Madrid with his family, including his wife Queen Sofia and son King Felipe VI. The former king's two daughters have visited him in exile, most recently at Easter. Neither his wife of 60 years nor his son have seen him since he left the country.

According to media reports, Queen Sofia "still expects" her husband to explain his conduct.

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The planned family visit portion of his itinerary has been complicated, according to media reports, by Spain's ruling Left coalition government's refusal to grant permission for the disgraced ex-king to spend the night at the Zarzuela Palace. Reports claim it was Prime Minister Pedro Gonzalez who vigorously objected.

The return to Spain does not mean the end of Juan Carlos' legal problems by any means, however.

RELATED: Spain's Ex-King Juan Carlos Investigated for Alleged Corruption Six Years After His Abdication

While this weekend's voyage was intended to "normalize" the king emeritus' status, his trip home has been far from normal so far. His excursion is being made under guidelines he declared himself in an open letter he wrote his son only days after the criminal investigations were dropped in March; a letter in which he described himself willing to return to Spain "regularly" to see "his family and friends".

This week's last-minute announcement by the palace of his imminent arrival and decision to spend three days at a yachting rally before seeing his family, has come under intense media scrutiny. As has the question of who exactly is paying for his flight, after he arrived on a private charter owned by an Angolan company.

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On Thursday, only hours before his arrival, Spain's Economic Minister Nadia Calviño denounced the trip. "The information we have had in recent years is very worrying," Calvino told a radio interviewer, "for the (monarchical) institution." No. 2 in the government, she insisted, "I believe that he will have to give explanations without a doubt."

On Friday, Mayor Telmo Gonzalez, who first leaked word of Juan Carlos' trip two weeks ago, told reporters that the ex-king has decided to come back to Sanxenxo — for another regatta — in June.