Downfall of a King: Juan Carlos of Spain

A riveting and deeply researched account by Paul Preston, the preeminent historian of modern Spain, detailing the epic fall from grace of King Juan Carlos. This spectacular biography lays bare the complex web of financial and sexual excess that led to the hero’s vertiginous downfall.

Key Features/Benefits

• Deeply researched account of King Juan Carlos’s fall from grace.
• Authored by Paul Preston, preeminent historian of modern Spain.
• Examines the financial and sexual excesses leading to his downfall.
• Analyzes the impact of his 2012 public apology after the Botswana elephant hunting incident.
• Sets the King’s implosion against Spain’s identity crisis grappling with its fascist past.
• Chronicles his abdication on 2 June 2014 and subsequent exile in Abu Dhabi from August 2020.

Specifications

• Author: Paul Preston
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Print Length: 544 pages
• Color: Four-color
• ISBN-10: 0008741107
• ISBN-13: 978-0008741105
• Dimensions: 15.9 x 5.2 x 24 cm (159x52x240mm)
• Weight: 816 g
• Publication Date: 18 June 2026

This biography not only tells the story of the King’s very public implosion but also identifies the seeds of self-destruction rooted in his unhappy childhood, offering penetrating light on the massive scale of corruption within the Spanish establishment.