View image in fullscreen Juan Carlos said he regretted his affair with the Danish-German socialite Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, saying it had harmed his reputation. He was summoned aged 10 to Spain by Franco, who trained him to be his successor. “I respected him enormously, appreciated his intelligence and political sense,” Juan Carlos said of Franco. “He took my hand and said, as if it was his last breath: ‘Your highness, I ask you just one thing: keep the country united,’” Juan Carlos recalled. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter.

Source: The Guardian November 06, 2025 23:25 UTC