Spain’s former monarch has been mocked by a new sculpture erected in Madrid’s Puerta Del Sol square.
Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 exiling himself in Abu Dhabi amid a series of financial scandals and public disgust at an elephant-hunting trip to Africa.
Now an artist has placed a sculpture of Carlos aiming a rifle at a bear - the symbol of the Spanish capital - after only his second return trip to Spain after his self-imposed exile.
Chilean artist Nicolás Miranda unveiled the small polyurethane sculpture in the central square so that the disgraced monarch appeared to preparing to hunt Madrid’s famous bronze bear eating from a strawberry tree.
Juan Carlos attracted controversy in Spain for attending the funeral of Queen Elizabeth despite both being great-great-grandchildren of Britain’s Queen Victoria.
Spain’s official delegation was led by King Felipe and his wife Queen Letizia. Felipe came to the throne when his father abdicated in 2014.
Spanish prosecutors investigated allegations of fraud in Spain and Switzerland, but the probe was dropped due to insufficient evidence and the statute of limitations. Juan Carlos has declined to comment on the various allegations of wrongdoing.
However, he could still face trial in Britain in a harassment case brought against him by his former lover, Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. He has denied the allegations.
