Spain's former King Juan Carlos has left the country amid scrutiny of his alleged financial dealings. Juan Carlos, 82, who steered the country from dictatorship to democracy, made the announcement in a letter to his son, Felipe, to whom he handed power six years ago. In the letter, the former monarch wrote that he was making the decision "in the face of the public repercussions that certain past events in my private life are generating" and in the hope of allowing his son to carry out his functions with "tranquility". "Guided by the conviction to best serve the people of Spain, its institutions, and you as king, I inform you of my decision at this time to leave Spain. "A decision I make with deep emotion but with great serenity," the letter said. Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 after nearly 40 years as king following a corruption investigation involving his daughter's husband and a controversial elephant hunting trip the monarch took during Spain's financial crisis. King Felipe expressed "heartfelt respect and gratitude" for his father's decision to leave the country, according to a press release from the Royal Household. Juan Carlos, who is now 82, is widely credited with helping to guide Spain to democracy after the long dictatorship of Francisco Franco. But in recent years, his image has suffered. In 2014, he abdicated under a cloud of financial scandal and criticism of his elephant-hunting trip to Botswana during Spain's financial crisis in 2012. In March, King Felipe ended the annual public stipend paid to his father and renounced any personal inheritance from him. — Agencies
