Factual

Juan Carlos - La caduta di un re (tr: Juan Carlos – Downfall of The King) is a new Sky Original docuseries which has made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, narrating the rise and fall of former King of Spain, Juan Carlos I. The series is set to debut on Sky Documentaries, available to stream on NOW, from Sunday, May 21 at 9:15 p.m.

The 4-part docuseries traces the reign of King Juan Carlos I, who was considered a Spanish hero worldwide for many years for reforming Spain with his modern, progressive and democratic values. He led his country from Francoist dictatorship to parliamentary monarchy, transforming Spain into a modern European nation and becoming the most popular Spanish ruler in history.

The king had a loyal queen, a loving family, international respect, friends in high places and loyal subjects - everything a king could want. So how did he suffer such a drastic fall that he was forced to abdicate in 2014 and finally flee into exile in 2020?

The compelling documentary features exclusive interviews with close friends, journalists and supporters of the King, as well as his former mistress, Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. Among the interviewees there can also be found former secret service agent José Manuel Villarejo, biographer Jaime Peñafiel, former bank president Mario Conde, and Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein's former husband, Philip Adkins.

Juan Carlos - La caduta di un re sets off on an international hunt to discover how Juan Carlos arrived at his enormous fortune and answer questions about his financial affairs, his lucrative connections and his alleged involvement in global corruption cases. It also shows how a fateful hunting trip to Botswana revealed the King's secret romance with Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, setting in motion a series of events that deeply shook the Spanish monarchy and led the house of cards to crumble. Then there is the question of why Juan Carlos transferred the sum of 65 million euros to Corinna's account shortly before the end of his reign.

Christian Beetz, co-writer, producer, Gebrueder beetz Filmproduktion, said: "When we began producing this investigative series about King Juan Carlos I of Spain, we were unaware of the scale and scope of the royal, financial and political scandal. Little by little a web of intrigue, greed and power plays unraveled, rooted in the highest circles of Spanish society and still protected by the Spanish secret service CNI. It is an extraordinary story and one that we have tried to tell without fear or favor."

Juan Carlos - La caduta di un re is produced by Grimme Prize winner Christian Beetz, who created the series with Anne von Petersdorff and Georg Tschurtschenthaler of Gebrüder Beetz Filmproduktion, together with author Pedro Barbadillo. Christian Asanger and Felix Kempter are executive producers for Sky Deutschland, with Barnaby Shingleton for Sky Studios. The four-part series is produced by Gebrüder Beetz Filmproduktion in association with Sky Studios. In Italy, it will be broadcast on Sky Documentaries, streaming on NOW from May 21. The series will also be available for streaming on SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe in the coming months.