The Praetorian Guard of Juan Carlos I wants a quiet birthday in Abu Dhabi: nothing more than family

On December 19, we announced the scoop: Infantas Elena and Cristina will spend the New Year in Abu Dhabi with their father and they will stay until the birthday, like last year. But this time it seems that the celebration will be more discreet. That enclave that has welcomed King Emeritus Juan Carlos I since the summer of 2020 is another regular stop on the calendar of Cristina and also her older sister. There the infantas plan to say goodbye to 2024, as we anticipated a week ago and it is very likely that they will do so in the company of Victoria Federica and Froilán, the latter installed in the Persian Gulf and already back after visiting his mother in Madrid for her 61st birthday.

Let us remember that the king Juan Carlos He celebrated his previous birthday with a scandalous party (it was on the cover of magazines and filled television programs) in Abu Dhabi, where his two eldest daughters and some of his grandchildren were present (Froilan, Victoria Federica, Pablo e Irene Urdangarin). The emeritus exhibited his party by leaking photographs of the celebration to the magazine Hello. There was Doña Sofía’s husband cutting the cake with his favorite grandson, Froilán. From behind they appeared smiling Infanta Elena and the Infanta Cristina. Also Victoria Federica, immortalizing the moment with her phone. Among the attendees were also Johanna ZottPablo Urdangarin’s girlfriend.

In the other main photograph, King Juan Carlos offered us a pose with his daughters and grandchildren. From Abu Dhabi, they posed in front of a Spanish flag. Felipe VI, Doña Letizia and the queen sofiain addition to the Princess Eleanor and the Infanta Sofia Around one hundred people attended the party to honor the emeritus on his birthday. The celebration began with a lunch at the Four Seasons hotel in Abu Dhabi and Los del Río gave it their all with La Macarena. Elena and Cristina were the first to start dancing. This year, with the images of the Emeritus with the mother of Ángel Cristo, the audios broadcast and Bárbara Rey roaming freely around the sets, a low profile is required.

Infanta Cristina will spend Christmas in Madrid with her mother and New Year’s with her father and Elena in Abu Dhabi https://t.co/QBeNsk91KM

— Informalia (@Informalia) December 19, 2024

This year will not be the same

Cristina and her sister will be this Tuesday for Christmas Eve and Christmas in Spain. It is a date to share with Queen Sofia, a gesture that underlines the importance that the infantas give to family ties. Doña Cristina’s approach to her brother, King Felipe VI, has become more visible and her mother’s age reminds her daughters that visiting her is increasingly logical, frequent and convenient. Cristina de Borbón will celebrate the arrival of 2025 with her sister and father. The plan advanced by Informalia is for Cristina to travel to Abu Dhabi while their children are in Vitoria with their father and it is possible that with Ainhoa ​​Armentia and their paternal grandmother.

Elena and Cristina will spend this Christmas Eve near Felipe and Letizia. But it is not ruled out that they will dine at different tables: the Kings will share the evening with their daughters and it is possible that with grandmother Paloma Rocasolano, and the infantas will dine with Queen Sofía but they may do so in another room of the Zarzuela Palace, where Princess Irene and the infantas’ children will also celebrate this night of the 24th. It is likely that on the sidelines of the dinner the group will greet the Kings and their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía. The children of Iñaki Urdangarin and Victoria Federica also dine at Zarzuela. Froilán is back in Abu Dhabi as we already published. On New Year’s Eve and Epiphany things will be different.

A quiet birthday in Abu Dhabi: nothing more than family

On January 5, 2025, Juan Carlos I celebrates his 87th birthday in the destination that has become his habitual residence since his departure from Spain in 2020. This year, the plan is clear: a discreet celebration, which Bárbara Rey and Mediaset have put on quite a media party. They want Don Juan Carlos to be discreet this time. You will be accompanied only by your closest relatives and a close friend or, in any case, what you do will be less publicized. The king emeritus, as we already told a week ago, will have the presence of his daughters, the infantas Elena and Cristina, who will travel to the Arab Emirates to say goodbye to 2024 and welcome 2025 with their father. Cristina de Borbón, who spends Christmas Eve and Christmas in Spain with her mother, Queen Sofia, and her sister Elena. The two sisters, always faithful to their father, have maintained a constant relationship with him, frequently visiting him at his residence in the Gulf.

The family unit reunites in the Persian Gulf

In addition to the princesses, it is likely that Victoria Federica and Froilán, grandchildren of the emeritus king, will also be present at this celebration. Froilán, who currently resides in Abu Dhabi, has already returned after spending a few days in Madrid to celebrate the birthday of his mother, Infanta Elena. For her part, Victoria Federica could accompany her mother and uncle on this trip. This family distribution reflects the complex balance that the Borbón-Urdangarin family has maintained after the events that have marked recent years.

The choice of Abu Dhabi as the setting for this birthday responds to the desire to keep the celebration away from the media scrutiny contaminated by Bárbara Rey, an issue that has surrounded the emeritus king since his departure from Spain. “Family only,” is the slogan that comes from those around the King’s family, far from the grotesque display on the cover of Hello on the previous birthday.

The well-known “praetorian guard” of Juan Carlos I, made up of a circle of friends and collaborators who remain loyal to him, his daughters and some of his grandchildren, headed by Froilán, would have advised avoiding any type of event that could be interpreted as a provocation or that generates unnecessary controversy. The intention is for this date to be a private moment, in which the king emeritus can enjoy the affection of his daughters and grandchildren without external distractions.

Both Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina have been key players in the life of the emeritus king since his move to Abu Dhabi. Their constant support and regular visits have helped maintain the family bond, despite the geographical distance and the difficulties that the Bourbons have experienced in recent years.

The celebration of this birthday occurs in a family context marked by the division between the Royal House and the king emeritus. Felipe VI will not join the celebrations in Abu Dhabi with Elena and Cristina, among other reasons because his father’s birthday coincides with Military Easter. But relations between the monarch and his sisters appear to have strengthened in the last year. The visit of the infantas to Zarzuela for Christmas Eve dinner is a gesture that underlines the desire to maintain family ties, despite differences. It is possible that, although they do not share a table, Felipe VI, Letizia and their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, will take advantage of the occasion to greet the infantas and their children, strengthening the image of unity that is so valued at the institutional level. .

The legacy of Juan Carlos I, in the shadow of distance

As Juan Carlos I ages, his figure continues to be the subject of debate in Spain. Although his withdrawal from public life and his residence in Abu Dhabi have helped mitigate the impact of the controversies that surrounded him, his legacy continues to generate conflicting opinions. This birthday, celebrated in family intimacy, is a reminder that, despite the controversies, the king emeritus still has the unconditional support of his closest circle. Thus, Juan Carlos I will celebrate his 87 years surrounded by the love of his daughters and several grandchildren, in an environment that offers him the tranquility he longs for. A date marked by discretion, but that also reflects the complexity of a family that, despite everything, continues to look for spaces for union and affection.