Juan Carlos I's Supporters: Aga Khan IV, the Espirito Santo in Portugal, and the Fanjul

Several media outlets claim that King Juan Carlos I's destination could already be in Dominican Republic. However, information accessed by Elcierredigital.com suggests that the final destination of the Emeritus King is Portugal. The neighboring country offers the perfect conditions for 'self-exile'. It is close to Spain, a European country, and is also familiar territory for Juan Carlos I. He spent much of his childhood and youth there because his father, Don Juan de Borbón, the Count of Barcelona, lived there in exile, specifically in Estoril, an aristocratic city near Lisbon.

In both countries, Dominican Republic and Portugal, the King has significant support. In the American country, he has his friends the Fanjuls, one of the richest families in the world. Meanwhile, in the Portuguese country, he has friendships from his years in Estoril, such as the Braganza, the Portuguese royal family, the Espirito Santo (the family that gives its name to the famous Portuguese bank), and, above all, Aga Khan IV, a sui generis monarch, who has given his daughter Infanta Cristina a job at the Foundation that bears his name and also has a headquarters in Lisbon. As Elcierredigital.com previously reported, the middle daughter of the Emeritus Kings would have chosen this job to move to the Portuguese capital when Iñaki Urdangarin obtains the third-degree penitentiary.

The Fanjuls: Sugar and Tourism

The businessman Pepe Fanjul is the owner of luxurious hotels and apartments, three thousand hectares known as the "Casa de Campo" of the Dominican Republic in the La Romana area, where the Emeritus can enjoy the sun and the beach, away from the possible scandals that will continue to be aired about his fortune, his romantic relationships, and political problems sheltered from prying eyes, retired from public life. Unidas Podemos has already requested the appearance of King Juan Carlos in the Congress to clarify the origin of part of his fortune.

But who are the Fanjuls? The well-known Fanjul family are descendants of Spaniards who emigrated to Cuba at the end of the 19th century. In the still Spanish colony, they made a fortune with sugar cane, becoming one of the most powerful families on the island, thanks to their business during the years of Fulgencio Batista's regime.

During those years, the visible face of the clan was Alfonso Fanjul, who would die in 1980, and with his wife Lillian Rosa Gómez-Mena, who died in 1992, had four children: Alfonso, Pepe, Alexander, and Andrés. Alfonso came from a family that owned the Cuban Trading Company, and his wife's family, the Gómez-Mena, of Spanish origin, specifically from Burgos, had experience in the sugar export business.

During that period, for everyone in Havana, the Fanjuls were the closest thing to nobility in a non-monarchical country. They were to such an extent that they became the hosts of the Dukes of Windsor when they visited Cuba.

But the Fanjuls' luck changed after the Castro Revolution in 1959. The family left Cuba and settled in Palm Beach, Florida. They had to go into exile, and their business career continued to focus on sugar plantations both in the United States and in the Dominican Republic. The company they created at that time, Florida Crystals, is now the third in the sugar sector in the United States.

Their economic capacity has also given them influence in American politics. Pepe Fanjul, a friend and future host of the Emeritus King, is a prominent supporter of the Republican Party and Trump's policy, while his brother Alfredo publicly defended the Obama Administration when it decided to resume diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Although the Fanjuls' operations center is Miami, they spend much of their time in the Dominican Republic. In this country, they own a luxurious residential complex near the capital, Santo Domingo. This complex occupies 2,833 hectares and features many pools, golf courses, a polo field, and restaurants.

The Fanjuls also have numerous properties in the entire La Romana area, south of the Dominican Republic, a top-level paradise facing Catalina Island. In that area, Margarita Vargas, wife of Luis Alfonso de Borbón, also has properties, and they got married there.

On many occasions, the Emeritus King has been the star guest of Pepe Fanjul and his wife Emilia. Additionally, the Fanjul couple were also regulars in Mallorca during the years when Juan Carlos I turned the Balearic island into a kind of second court every summer. The Fanjuls' hostess in Mallorca was Cristina López-Mancisidor, known as Cristina Macaya, in her luxurious house Es Canyar. Moreover, the Fanjuls have a very good relationship with Marie Chantall Miller and Pavlos of Greece, political nephews of the Emeritus King, who has found in Fanjul one of his great supports during various periods of his life.

Aga Khan IV: The King of the Ismailis

Karim al-Hussayni is the IV Aga Khan, the title of the Ismaili Imams. He was born in Geneva (Switzerland) on December 13, 1936. As Imam, the responsibilities of Aga Khan include interpreting the faith and ensuring the spiritual and material well-being of his followers, which means helping to improve the quality of life of the community in the societies where they live. The Shia Ismaili Muslims are ethnically and culturally diverse and live in more than 25 countries worldwide. Members of the Ismaili community contribute with volunteer time, professional services, and substantial financial resources. Some believe that the Aga Khan is a direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Mohammed.

Despite having British citizenship, he spends most of his time at his French castle in Aiglemont, a vast property near Chantilly, about 25 mi. (40 km) north of Paris. He grew up in Nairobi, studied in Switzerland, and then graduated from Harvard. The title of His Royal Highness was formally granted to the reigning Aga Khan by Queen Elizabeth II after the death of his grandfather, Aga Khan III.

The Aga Khan assumed the role of the 49th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims during his third year at Harvard, succeeding his grandfather, His Highness Sultan Mohamed Shah Aga Khan III, at the age of 20. This is the first time in the 1,300-year history that the Imamat skipped a generation.

His father was the legendary Aly Khan, an international playboy in the fifties who married actress Rita Hayworth in 1951. They had a daughter together, Yasmina, and became the most pursued couple of the moment. Many consider their wedding in India to be the founding act of a new profession: that of paparazzi. It created so much expectation that the couple filmed a documentary about their honeymoon in Africa called Champagne Safari. His fame as a conqueror extended beyond his marriage to the star of Gilda. Actresses Gene Tierney and Danielle Darrieux were among his other conquests. It was also rumored that he had his ups and downs with Cayetana de Alba. His reputation as a womanizer led his father to remove him from the line of succession to the throne.

Two Million-Dollar Divorces

Aga Khan married Sally Croker-Poole, a former British model, who converted to Islam and took the name Princess Salimah Aga Khan, in 1969. The marriage lasted 25 years, and they have a daughter and two sons. All three work within the Imamat and the organization. Princess Salimah and the Aga Khan divorced in 1995. It was reported that she received 20 million pounds in her divorce settlement. Three years later, the Aga Khan married Princess Gabriele Thyssen, a former pop singer. Thyssen also converted to Islam and adopted the name Inaara Aga Khan. The couple has a son, Prince Aly.

The marriage broke down in 2004, and the couple separated. What followed was a highly publicized 10-year legal battle that the English tabloids dubbed the most expensive divorce process in history. It ended in early 2014 with a settlement in which Gabriele received nearly 50 million pounds.

Aga Khan is the founder and chairman of a major international aid organization: the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The AKDN is a vast network of agencies employing 80,000 people in 30 countries.

The AKDN and its agencies are private, international, and non-denominational development organizations that work "to improve the well-being and prospects of all people in the developing world, particularly in Asia and Africa." Some programs, such as specific research, education, and cultural initiatives, span both the developed and developing world.

Part of its funding for development activities comes from national governments, multilateral institutions, and private sector partners. His Royal Highness provides regular funds for administration, new programs, and national initiatives, and for some core activities. A man who combines faith, royalty, and fortune and is the new protector of the former Duchess of Palma.