Former Spanish King Juan Carlos I Returns to Bullfighting After Seven-Year Absence in Seville

Juan Carlos I, the former King of Spain, will attend the Domingo de Resurrección bullfight at Seville's Maestranza bullring on Sunday, marking his return to the spectacle after approximately seven years away. The event features matadors Morante de la Puebla, Roca Rey, and David de Miranda facing bulls from the Garcigrande ranch. The former monarch will watch alongside his daughters and some grandchildren, though he will not occupy the official Maestrantes box. His presence adds significance to one of the season's most important bullfighting events and signals his renewed public engagement with the tradition after residing in Abu Dhabi. Earlier in March, Juan Carlos canceled a planned visit to Sanxenxo in Pontevedra for sailing regattas, citing security concerns related to Middle East conflicts, yet he will appear in Seville despite ongoing tensions, having stopped in Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday. His last public bullfighting attendance was in 2019 at the Aranjuez bullring, where he bid farewell to public life at a corrida also featuring Morante de la Puebla, alongside Julián López 'El Juli' and José María Manzanares. Meanwhile, his daughters, Infantas Elena and Cristina, have spent Holy Week with both parents, traveling to Palma with Queen Sofía for a concert at the cathedral organized by the Fundación Proyecto Hombre and appearing with her in Cartagena, Murcia, for a procession.