Pilar Eyre remembers Marta Gayá, the lover of Juan Carlos I who is with him today on his 87th birthday

Juan Carlos I turns 87 this January 5 in Abu Dhabi, surrounded by friends, family and a handful of proper names that orbit around his complex biography. Among them, one stands out for its stealthy permanence over the years: Marta Gayá, who was his lover in the distant 80s and that, unlike other figures who shared his sentimental life, he has managed to remain in a discreet background. In the sands of Abu Dhabi, where the king celebrates a birthday closer to dusk than to fullness, Marta Gayá’s presence is, ultimately, an act of resistance. A love story that, in its own way, continues to burn among the embers of time.

Pilar Eyre, tireless chronicler of the Bourbon universe, has unraveled the reasons why Marta Gayá continues to be a pillar in the life of the emeritus king. We must go back to the eternal summer of the 80s, when Juan Carlos, then in the full effervescence of his reign, discovered Marta Gayá during one of his stays in Mallorca. She was 34 years old, and her discreet elegance conquered the monarch, who soon made her part of his world, although always in the shadows of protocol and the demands of the crown. According to Eyre, “he loved her more and more, and he was so ecstatic that he confessed to his friends: ‘I have never been so happy!'” That happiness, however, was never complete. Marta was aware that Juan Carlos would not completely belong to her, that her role would always be that of the tolerated lover in a kingdom of silence.

The relationship between Juan Carlos and Marta underwent a definitive test after the tragic accident that took the lives of Rudy Bay and his wife, Gayá’s closest friends. Devastated, Marta fell into a deep depression and was hospitalized in Switzerland. There, the monarch put aside his commitments and flew to her, staying by her side in the darkest days.

Eyre reveals an intimate episode that defines that unbreakable connection: “He would stay sitting next to her bed, holding her hand and whispering to her: ‘I love you, I will always take care of you, we will always be together.'” That promise, born in the fragility of a hospital room, has remained intact for decades.

Over time, Marta Gayá managed to rebuild herself. His return to the Balearic Islands marked the beginning of a period in which, although he knew that he would never occupy an official place, he became a central figure in Juan Carlos’s life. Eyre points out that, for the king’s closest entourage, “Marta was one more. They accepted her as the other queen of Mallorca.” Neither the scandals nor the figures who came later, such as Corinna Larsen, managed to displace her. Marta always knew how to preserve her place, away from the noise and leaks that have characterized the monarch’s other relationships.

At 77 years old, Marta Gayá It continues to be an emotional refuge for Juan Carlos. Although she lives in Palma de Mallorca, her trips to Abu Dhabi are frequent, and phone calls between the two are daily. Marta has achieved what no one else has in the tumultuous love life of the emeritus: staying by his side as a friend, confidant and unconditional support. Eyre emphasizes that this relationship transcends labels and has become an indestructible bond: “For forty years, Marta has been his faithful companion, who has finally been accepted by everyone, even his own daughters.”

Juan Carlos I’s birthday party is a reflection of the contrast that defines his figure: a life of excess, surrounded by luxury, but also marked by exile and isolation. The celebration takes place at his mansion on the island of Nurai, with a cocktail, dinner and music by Los del Río and a DJ. Among the guests are his daughters, as we already mentioned, and some grandchildren. But names such as Carlos Herrera, Pedro Campos and the businessman Vicente Boluda, in addition to the infantas, who have traveled to accompany their father. However, no presence is as significant as that of Marta Gayá, the only woman who, after forty years, is still part of his life.

In the universe of Juan Carlos I, where relationships have so often been fleeting and conditioned by circumstances, the figure of Marta Gayá stands as a testimony of loyalty. Unlike Corinna Larsen, who made public her disputes with the king, or Bárbara Rey, whose relationship with him became a myth in the pink chronicle, Marta has known how to stay in the shadows, weaving a complicity that challenges the rules of power and of time.

As Pilar Eyre writes, “Juan Carlos has found in Marta that woman he can trust, that true love that he had a hard time finding and that, despite everything, remains by his side.” Perhaps that is why, on this birthday in exile, Marta is not just another guest; It is the living reminder of a past that refuses to fade away completely.