The romance between Spanish actress Bárbara Rey and Spanish monarch Juan Carlos I has been a topic of conversation for years, known more as an open secret.
However, last September 25, the Dutch magazine Privé published photographs confirming their relationship. And the controversy was sparked because the romance occurred while Juan Carlos was still king and married to Queen Sofia.
In one of the images taken in May 1994, they are seen kissing and hugging, which has aroused the public’s curiosity about the identity of Bárbara Rey.
Who is Bárbara Rey?
Bárbara Rey, born February 2, 1950, in Totana, Spain, is a prominent actress and television presenter, recognized as a beauty icon in the 1980s and 1990s.
Her career took off from her participation in beauty pageants, and she even represented Spain in the Miss Universe contest.
After her stint in the fashion world, Bárbara entered the film industry, becoming a sex symbol thanks to the “uncovering genre,” a cultural phenomenon of the time.
Over the course of ten years, she starred in 43 films, establishing herself as a well-known figure in the Spanish artistic scene.
Relationship with Juan Carlos I
Barbara and King Juan Carlos I met in 1976. The politician Adolfo Suarez introduced them to each other.
From that moment on, the relationship between the actress and the monarch developed secretly. The couple used to meet in a house in a privileged area in Madrid that the actress sold in 2019.
Despite her bond with Juan Carlos, in 1980, Bárbara Rey married circus impresario Ángel Cristo, with whom she had two children, Ángel Jr. and Sofía.
It is speculated that it was Ángel Jr. who provided the photographs to Privé magazine as part of a family vendetta.
In 1989, Bárbara divorced due to domestic violence and addiction problems of her ex-husband.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Bárbara Rey claimed that her relationship with Juan Carlos lasted until 1980, when she married the father of her children.
According to Bárbara’s version, the two resumed their romance in 1990, after her divorce. This new opportunity lasted another four years until the King met someone else.
From then on, Rey’s blackmailing of the royal house began. Barbara managed to obtain financial compensation for the breakup of the sentimental relationship, thanks to the fact that she had videos of their intimate encounters.
But not everything ended the way she expected. In 1997, the actress denounced having suffered a theft of videotapes with “intimate things” in her home.
“They have threatened to kill me, I am scared… They want me to leave the country, but I will not do it,” she exclaimed, revealing that her home had been bugged and her car’s brakes had failed.
Decades later, Bárbara Rey gave this powerful lover her first and last name and spoke openly about her feelings for him. However, she claims to have had nothing to do with the distribution of the pictures with the now retired king.
The revelations of the photographs have led Bárbara Rey to break her silence.
In a television program, she expressed her intention to file a complaint to clarify how the images were obtained.
For his part, neither the former King Juan Carlos nor the rest of the royal family has made any mention of this event, which undoubtedly puts the Spanish monarchy at risk.