NARRATIVE – The Memoirs of Juan Carlos are the editorial event of the fall. Expected and feared in Spain, they first appeared exclusively in France, published by Stock. The former sovereign received the weekly in Abu Dhabi.
From the center d’Abu Dhabi to the small island of Nuraï, it takes half an hour, including ten minutes by boat. A speedboat cuts through the smooth water, moving away from the inhabited banks. We dock at a discreet marina. A tranquility heavy with sunshine envelops this landscape of fine sand, where tall reeds and lush shrubs protect the view of the brand new villas. An electric vehicle takes us to the king’s house, made available by the head of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed Ben Zayed. The vestibule opens onto the swimming pool surrounded by century-old olive trees imported from Spain. In the distance, the sea spreads out. Further still, Iran.
It is in this strange resort that we meet the famous hidden king. He is seated, at 87 years old, at the end of a large stone table on which books, magazines and files are placed. Juan Carlos Ier has on his face the marks of time, but the laughing eye and the good nature of a prince of bivouacs accustomed to wandering and sudden changes.
Laurence Debray
If he has to…
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