Former King Juan Carlos of Spain has taken a swipe at Diana, Princess of Wales, describing her as “cold” in an upcoming tell-all memoir. The 87-year-old former monarch, who has spent years under public scrutiny over his personal life, is said to have made the remarks in reference to his encounters with the late royal.

In the late 1980s, the then-Prince Charles and Diana visited Marivent Palace in Mallorca – the Spanish Royal Family’s summer retreat. At the time, speculation swirled that Juan Carlos had shown a personal interest in the Princess, though no suggestion of impropriety was ever proven.

His new memoir, Reconciliation, reportedly portrays Diana as “cold”, “taciturn” and “distant” when she was in the presence of paparazzi.

Diana and Charles travelled to Spain several times with their young sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, between 1986 and 1988 and were hosted by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía.

The visits were widely viewed as a display of close diplomatic and personal ties between the British and Spanish royal households.

However, over the years, Juan Carlos’s private life has drawn significant controversy. The former king has long been dogged by reports of extramarital affairs and rumours of relationships with socialites and actresses.

His reputation was further tarnished by financial scandals that ultimately led to his abdication in 2014.

Royal biographer Andrew Morton shed light on the connection between the two royal families in his landmark 1992 book Diana: Her True Story. More than two decades later, in 2013, he published Ladies of Spain, exploring the private lives of the country’s most prominent women.

In the book, Morton quoted Diana as describing Juan Carlos as “a very libidinous man.”

The Princess is also said to have told friends, “I felt uncomfortable being left alone with him in a room, although I can assure you that nothing happened.” The remark was reportedly made following one of her visits to Mallorca.

Juan Carlos has now sought to put decades of speculation to rest in his upcoming memoir, Reconciliation, denying long-standing rumours of an affair with the late Princess.

The former monarch ruled Spain from 1975 to 2014. In 2020, he left Spain for Abu Dhabi, where he now lives in self-imposed exile amid financial investigations and declining public support.

Since relocating, Juan Carlos has returned to Spain only occasionally – most recently to take part in sailing regattas.