Happy Birthday King Juan Carlos! King Felipe VI’s father, who abdicated in 2014, celebrated his 80th birthday on Friday, January 5. To mark the occasion, Zarzuela Palace released a new portrait of the former King surrounded by his family. The picture was taken during a family luncheon at the royal palace.
Juan Carlos was joined by his wife Queen Sofía, 79, and two of their three children, King Felipe, 49, and Infanta Elena, 54, at the celebration. Noticeably absent from the family photo is the former monarchs’ 52-year-old daughter Infanta Cristina, who was acquitted of tax fraud last year and stripped of her royal title by her brother.
The Spanish royals celebrated King Juan Carlos' 80th birthday with a new family picture Photo: © Casa de S.M. el Rey
According to the Spanish newspaper, El Pais, Cristina and her children Juan, Pablo, Miguel and Irene have been vacationing in Italy. While the mom-of-four was not present for her father's birthday photo, other royal family members were including King Felipe’s wife Queen Letizia and their two daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía.
LOOK: Queen Letizia wears must-have trend of the season as seen on Mila Kunis, more stars
The sisters, who looked stylish in dresses and tights, stood front and center, while their paternal grandparents proudly posed behind them. Leonor and Sofía’s cousins, Victoria Federica, 17, and Felipe Juan, 19, whom Infanta Elena shares with her ex-husband Jaime de Marichalar, also joined in the family snapshot
Cristina was not present for her father's 80th family birthday photo Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images
Queen Letizia’s father-in-law was King for 39 years before he ended his reign in 2014. When the Spanish royal announced his intention to abdicate, he said, “A new generation must be at the forefront... younger people with new energies.” Princess Leonor, 12, is the heir presumptive to the Spanish throne.
