Laurence Debray, Juan Carlos I's other friend: the 'researcher' of his lawsuits

Juan Carlos I (Rome, 1938) has once again burst onto the national scene. The father of Felipe VI (Madrid, 1968) has filed a new lawsuit against businesswoman Corinna Larsen (Germany, 1964) and her lawyer Dante Canónica. In this new judicial "move" by the Emeritus King, writer Laurence Debray (Paris, 1976) may have come into play.

According to sources consulted by Elcierredigital.com, "Laurence Debraykeeps a very close relationship with Juan Carlos I.  She would have been in charge of the investigation (not the authorship) to gather information for the filing of the lawsuits by the Emeritus King."

Media outlets such as OKDiario claim that she is "the new girlfriend" of the monarch. However, sources consulted by elcierredigital.com assure that "their relationship would be one of close friendship, but by no means a romantic one. Girlfriend, in the literal sense of the word, would only be Marta Gayá."

This new judicial "move" by Juan Carlos I has brought the 49-year-old French writer back into the spotlight. Laurence Debray was fascinated by the figure of the Emeritus King as a child. But what is her story?

The Story of Laurence Debray, the Writer Who Was Fascinated by Juan Carlos I

Writer Laurence Debray was born in Paris in 1976, a year after Juan Carlos I ascended to the throne of Spain. She is the daughter of Venezuelan anthropologist Elizabeth Burgos, known for her activism in left-wing movements. Her father is French philosopher and political theorist Régis Debray.

Régis Debray was born into a Parisian bourgeois family. However, he began to take an interest in Marxist political movements. The French writer was a devoted follower of former President of the Republic of Cuba Fidel Castro.

He was also a follower of politician and guerrilla leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara. For this reason, in the 1960s Régis Debray traveled to Bolivia. While there, he collaborated in Che Guevara's campaign to overthrow the regime of Bolivian military leader René Barrientos.

However, Régis Debray went from being a beloved figure within the guerrilla movement to being labeled a "traitor." In November 1967, Debray was arrested and sentenced to 30 years in prison for supporting the guerrilla. Three years later, he was released.

In the mid-1990s, the connection between the French writer and Che Guevara returned to the spotlight. According to media outlets at the time, Debray was accused of informing the Bolivian army of Che Guevara's whereabouts. The guerrilla leader was captured and executed in October 1967, a month before Debray was imprisoned.

For many, Régis Debray was Che's betrayer. However, his daughter has always defended her father's innocence. They are very close, even though they have had several "clashes" throughout their lives.

Raised in this environment of social activism, Laurence was sent, at the age of ten, to a camp in Cuba.

Nevertheless, as an adult Laurence distanced herself from her parents' path. She told her story in the book Daughter of Revolutionaries. Laurence's future was not in activism but in the field of history and economics.

The writer attended the Sorbonne University in Paris, where she earned a degree in History and Literature. She completed her education in the United States. The Parisian writer trained in Economics at the prestigious London School of Economics and also at the École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris (HEC).

But if there is one place that has marked Laurence Debray's life, it is Spain.

The Bond Between Laurence Debray and Juan Carlos I

Laurence Debray has not only French or Venezuelan roots, but also Spanish ones. Seville was the birthplace of her mother's ancestors. In 1989, Elizabeth Burgos was appointed director of the French Institute of Seville and, together with her daughter, moved to the Andalusian city.

There, she forged a close relationship with former politician Alfonso Guerra, a close friend of her parents and one of the "strong men" of the Felipe González era.

In 1992, Régis Debray arrived in Seville. That year, the Andalusian province hosted the Universal Expo and the writer was in charge of the French pavilion. The Expo was one of the "major events" of Juan Carlos I's reign, a figure who has marked Laurence Debray's life.

Her "relationship" with Juan Carlos I began when she was a child. At just six years old, Laurence Debray hung a poster of the Emeritus King in her room. As she herself revealed, "it was an act of rebellion against her parents." However, that episode of disobedience by the writer would turn into a fascination with Felipe VI's father.

"Juan Carlos was the youngest head of state in Europe, athletic in appearance and with irresistible charm. He constantly broke protocol, much to the dismay of his security services, who faced the real threat of ETA," Debray noted.

In 2000, Laurence made her literary debut with the book The Making of a King, Juan Carlos I, from Franco's Successor to King of Spain.

Her third novel, Juan Carlos of Spain, was published in 2013. This was a very significant moment in Juan Carlos I's reign. In June 2014, the Emeritus King abdicated in favor of his son Felipe VI after nearly four decades on the throne.

During that turbulent period, according to publisher El Debate, Laurence Debray had the opportunity to meet Juan Carlos I. Specifically, on the eve of his abdication. The Emeritus King was 76 years old and she was 36. The relationship between the two has been kept over time.

According to reports, Laurence Debray has been a support for Juan Carlos I.  Especially after his departure from Spain in August 2020. In fact, two years later Debray published My Fallen King, her latest novel.

Such is the bond that unites her with Juan Carlos I that the French writer has also established her residence in Abu Dhabi, the city where the Emeritus King currently lives. The writer lives there with her husband, journalist Émile Servan-Schreiber, and their two children.

Laurence Debray may have become part of Juan Carlos I's inner circle.

The writer would have struck up a close friendship with  Infanta Elena. Both were seen in a very close attitude in October 2024 in Sanxenxo. The French writer traveled to the town in Pontevedra where Juan Carlos I boarded the Bribón to take part in the regattas.

The "Investigator" of Juan Carlos I's Lawsuits

The bond between Debray and Juan Carlos I has returned to the spotlight after the latest episodes involving the Emeritus King. One of them was the lawsuit that Juan Carlos I's legal team filed against former Cantabria president Miguel Ángel Revilla for violating his right to honor.

As we reported in Elcierredigital.com, Infanta Elena would have acted as a advisor regarding the filing of the lawsuit against the former politician. Just one week after this legal move, Juan Carlos I's defense has acted again. This time against Corinna Larsen, his close friend for more than a decade.

In the midst of this "judicial scandal," Laurence Debray would have played a key role.

Sources consulted by Elcierredigital.com point out that "regarding the filing of these lawsuits, the French writer would have acted as a 'workhorse', as it is colloquially known. These same sources emphasize that "Debray would have been in charge of the documentation and information-gathering work for the filing of these lawsuits."

In this case, the lawsuit against Corinna Larsen has been filed in Switzerland, one of Juan Carlos I's 'headquarters'. In the Alpine country, the Emeritus King would have deposited the €65 million (65 millones de euros) he received from the Ministry of Finance of Saudi Arabia after his mediation in the construction of the high-speed rail line to Mecca.

According to several experts cited by Elcierredigital.com, "in this new move by Juan Carlos I, the figure of the former director of the National Intelligence Center (CNI), Félix Sanz Roldán, would also have come into play."

Sanz Roldán would be very close to Juan Carlos I. As our newspaper has learned, "the former CNI director would have been present at one of the Emeritus King's most recent birthdays, as well as at the negotiations held with Corinna Larsen."

Today, the figure of Sanz Roldán has returned to the spotlight. So has that of Laurence Debray.

She is the writer who was fascinated by the figure of Juan Carlos I and who would now serve as "investigator" in his legal moves. This latest lawsuit filed by the Emeritus King against his former lover Corinna Larsen and her former lawyer Dante Canónica has taken place just one week after he sued former Cantabria president Miguel Ángel Revilla (Polaciones, 1943).