Juan Carlos is paying his respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
The exiled ex-King of Spain, 84, attended the monarch's funeral Sept. 19 alongside his son, reigning monarch King Felipe VI, and Felipe's wife Queen Letizia. The outing marked the first time Juan Carlos has been seen in public alongside his family since his self-imposed exile began two years ago. Privately, he reunited with them in May of this year.
After nearly 40 years in power, Juan Carlos stepped down from the monarchy in 2014 after a series of scandals—including a corruption investigation involving his daughter Princess Cristina's husband Iñaki Urdangarín and a controversial elephant hunting trip he took during Spain's financial crisis. In 2020, he left the country for Abu Dhabi when he was accused of having improper ties to business deals in Saudi Arabia, though all three charges against him have since been dropped due to lack of evidence.
Though King Filipe and Queen Letizia were there to represent Spain, Juan Carlos received a private invitation as he and Queen Elizabeth are related, both being the great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria. Other members of European royal families, including royals from Denmark, Belgium and Monaco, also attended the Westminster Abbey service (you can watch live here).
Members of the royal family including King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, Kate Middleton were also on hand to say goodbye to the late monarch, who will be laid to rest at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Her father, King George VI, her mother, Queen Elizabeth, and her husband, Prince Philip, are already buried there along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.
Read more about the royal funeral here.