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The presence of the former Spanish King Juan Carlos at the state funeral of Elizabeth II caused criticism in Spain, as one of the political parties there called him "a criminal in hiding", reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.

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The death of Queen Elizabeth II and the new crown prince 160

Spain's official delegation to the funeral was headed by King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia.

Felipe ascended the throne in 2014 after his father abdicated amid a series of scandals.

But Abu Dhabi exile Juan Carlos, who is related to the late Elizabeth II, has received a private invitation, a British government source said.

On Sunday, 84-year-old Juan Carlos and his estranged wife Sofia were photographed at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London.

The Spanish royal court announced that Sofia, who lives in Spain, will travel to London with the king and queen, but will not stay like them at the Spanish embassy, ​​but at her husband's hotel "for logistical and organizational reasons".

Once revered for his contribution to Spain's transition to democracy, Juan Carlos lost much of his popularity due to financial scandals and public displeasure over his elephant poaching in Africa.

Spanish prosecutors investigated him on suspicion of fraud in Spain and Switzerland, but the investigation was dropped due to insufficient evidence and restrictions due to his status.

But Juan Carlos could still be prosecuted in Britain in a harassment case brought by his ex-lover.

The former king of Spain will attend the funeral of Elizabeth II

The left-wing Unidas Podemos (United We Can) party, a junior partner in Spain's coalition government, criticized the presence of the disgraced former king at the funeral.

"Inviting a fugitive criminal to a state funeral shows you what the monarchy in the UK and in Spain really is," said party spokesman Pablo Echenique.

And according to Gerardo Pisarello, a member of parliament in Madrid from the list of the Catalan branch of "Podemos", monarchies are "atrophied and anachronistic".

In his words, "there are many dark stories" surrounding the British and Spanish monarchies.

Juan Carlos and Queen Elizabeth are great-great-grandchildren of Britain's Queen Victoria, Reuters noted.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II and the new heir to the throne

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