Seeking hugs, embattled Juan Carlos meets his son King Felipe of Spain

MADRID (Reuters) - King Felipe of Spain met his father Juan Carlos in a low-key private meeting in the Royal residence on Monday, marking their first encounter since the former king left the country in 2020 under a cloud of scandals that still hangs over the monarchy.

Asked what he expected from the meeting while leaving the town of Sanxenxo in northwestern Spain, where he spent the first four days of his trip attending a regatta, Juan Carlos, 84, said meekly: "Hugs".

How warm the meeting was and whether the father and son actually embraced remains unclear, however, as no pictures or video footage was released. After the meeting, Juan Carlos will board a private jet back to Abu Dhabi where he now resides.

King Felipe has distanced himself from his father who is seen as a liability for the crown even after prosecutors dropped their investigations of his financial dealings in March due to insufficient evidence and the statute of limitations.

Once revered for his role in Spain's transition to democracy, Juan Carlos' popularity has plummeted over the past decade after a series of scandals. He abdicated in 2014.

While small crowds greeted him with cheers, the visit was marked by far greater political embarrassment.

"He lost an opportunity, the opportunity Spaniards awaited, to give explanations and ask for forgiveness," government spokesperson Isabel Rodriguez told RNE radio earlier on Monday.

Asked by reporters on Sunday if he was going to explain himself, he replied: "Explain what?".

Juan Carlos left Spain in August 2020 citing his desire to allow his son to rule untroubled after prosecutors started looking into allegations of bribes over a high-speed rail contract.

With the investigations dropped, he said in March he would visit Spain frequently, but kept mum about his past dealings.

"The concealment of the causes and reasons of him living in Abu Dhabi...is harming the monarchy," said El Mundo columnist Lucia Mendez.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro, Editing by Andrei Khalip and Alistair Bell)