King Charles Will Reportedly Lunch with Spain's Former King Juan Carlos

Ever since Juan Carlos abdicated the Spanish throne and went into exile, the former King has been the subject of controversy. Yet, the current British king, Charles, is seemingly unfazed by the drama surrounding his distant cousin—the two royals will reportedly have a private lunch in London today.

Charles and Juan Carlos have had a long friendship; when Charles was married to Princess Diana, they vacationed at Juan Carlos's summer palace in Mallorca.

The former King Juan Carlos and the late Queen Elizabeth II are third cousins; both are great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria. At the funeral of Queen Elizabeth this past fall, Juan Carlos attended, along with his wife, the former Queen Sofía, son King Felipe VI, and Queen Letizia. Juan Carlos was reportedly asked not to attend by the Spanish government, and his presence was described as a private.

Per the Telegraph, "It is reported that the ex-King has been asked to the Coronation, but that his son and the Spanish government have indicated their unhappiness if he attends: and so barring a last minute change of mind, it seems unlikely he will." King Felipe and Queen Letizia have confirmed their attendance.

Juan Carlos was spotted in London yesterday, having dinner at private club Oswald's in central London. He's also expected to attend the Champions League quarter-final, which is a match-up between Real Madrid and Chelsea, this evening.

From London, the disgraced former king is set to return to Spain to participate in a regatta in Sanxenxo, Spain. "We’re always delighted when the king decides to come to Sanxenxo – which he often does – but we’d still like to see him more often," Mayor Telmo Martín González said.

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