Spaniards react to former King Juan Carlos leaving

Speculation over the whereabouts of former monarch Juan Carlos gripped Spain on Tuesday, a day after he announced he was leaving the country for an unspecified destination amid a growing financial scandal.

Speaking to the AP in Madrid, some called the news of his departure "disagreeable" and noted that people had been "judging him without evidence."

However, there were mixed opinions, with others arguing that he should stay in the country and "return the money and do prison time, like all Spaniards when you break the law."

In a letter published on the royal family's website on Monday, Juan Carlos told his son King Felipe VI he was moving outside Spain due to the "public repercussions of certain episodes of my past private life."

Juan Carlos is the target of official investigations in Spain and Switzerland, which are looking into possible financial wrongdoing.

Juan Carlos's bombshell announcement took most Spaniards by surprise. Neither the royal family nor the government disclosed where he was going.

Daily newspaper ABC reported Tuesday that Juan Carlos left Spain on Sunday and flew via Porto, in neighboring Portugal, to the Dominican Republic. La Vanguardia also said he was in the Caribbean country, but only temporarily.

But El Confidencial newspaper said he could be in Portugal, where he spent part of his childhood, or in France or Italy, where he has family and friends.

(Representative Image)