Spain's former King Juan Carlos confirms long-held rumours of a feud with daughter-in-law Queen Letizia

Spain's former King Juan Carlos has spoken publicly for the first time about a long-rumoured feud with his daughter-in-law, Queen Letizia.

The 87-year-old ruled Spain from 1975 until he abdicated the throne in 2014 for his son, now King Felipe VI.

Addressing the allegations for the first time, Juan Carlos said he had a "personal disagreement" with Letizia.

He also revealed there had been a breakdown in his relationship between his two granddaughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia.

The confirmation of tensions within Spain's royal family was made public as King Felipe and Queen Letizia held an emotional meeting with victims of the country's worst flooding disaster in modern history, marking one year since the tragedy.

More than 200 people were killed when torrential rain and flooding hit the Valencia region in October last year. The King and Queen were pelted with mud by survivors during their first visit to the disaster zone but were later seen embracing victims on a return tour.

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On Wednesday, they attended a memorial where they spoke with victims and their families.

Meanwhile, in France, Juan Carlos gave an interview with newspaper Le Figaro before the publication of his much-awaited memoir, Reconciliation: Memoirs of Juan Carlos I of Spain.

It will be published in France on November 5, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco's death.

It is due to be published in Spain three weeks later.

The former monarch was exiled to Abu Dhabi in 2020 after he was linked to an inquiry into alleged corruption. But three investigations against him were dropped in March, 2022.

Addressing this, he said: "I decided to leave so as not to hinder the smooth running of the Crown or disturb my son in the exercise of his duties as sovereign," he writes in the book.

He lamented the lack of communication between him and his son since the scandal.

"My son has turned his back on me out of a sense of duty," Juan Carlos writes. "I understand that as King he must maintain a firm public stance, but it hurt me … that he was so insensitive."

Juan Carlos says he "bitterly regrets" that his estranged wife, Queen Sofia, did not visit him in Abu Dhabi as his daughters, princesses Elena and Cristina have done.

But he did not have any regrets about his daughter-in-law, Queen Letizia, writing that he did not miss her.

Her inclusion into the royal family "did not help the cohesion of our family relationships," he said, referring to when the former journalist married the heir to the throne in May, 2004.

There is "personal disagreement" between him and her, Juan Carlos says.

Rumours of a feud between the King and Letizia first began when Felipe announced his engagement in 2003.

The speculation intensified when Juan Carlos abdicated the throne and later fled to the UAE in 2020.

He has no relationship with his granddaughters, according to the book.

According to French media, who had access to the book before its publication, Queen Letizia has stopped her daughters from having any contact with their grandfather.

The last photo of Princess Leonor, who is heir to the throne, and her grandfather, was from November 2018 at an event marking 40 years of the Spanish constitution.

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