Now there’s a sensationalist headline if ever I wrote one, but according to the South Africa Sunday Times:
Spain’s King Juan Carlos I shot dead a tame bear during a private hunting trip to Russia earlier this year after the animal was plied with vodka to become an “easy target” for the monarch, the daily Kommersant has reported.
Some say the king should have had enough of guns, as it is a little known fact that, aged 18, he allegedly accidentally shot and killed his younger brother. From wikipedia:
In 1956, when Juan Carlos was 18, he reportedly shot and killed his younger brother, Infante Alfonso, in a gunplay accident after returning home from Mass. This event occurred in the family residence in Estoril, Portugal (reference: Preston).
Is it true, or just a Spanish urban legend?
Jim
20 Oct 06 at 7:57 am
Just a quick note Ben – I think that your newspaper link is from a South African paper (New Zealand websites normally end in .nz)
Ben
20 Oct 06 at 8:08 am
Oops, well spotted!
Edith
20 Oct 06 at 8:48 am
I’ve read it too this morning, in a free newspaper called Metro. I just hope so much this isn’t true…
Edith
20 Oct 06 at 11:28 am
The bear incident appears to be a hoax:
http://www.wral.com/apstrangenews/10113703/detail.html
Edith
20 Oct 06 at 11:31 am
Más:
http://www.elsemanaldigital.com/arts/57919.asp?tt=
Graeme
20 Oct 06 at 2:23 pm
This visit caused a bit of comment at the time because nobody knew he was going to Russia, or why – normally the king’s agenda is known.
I see the story about him shooting his brother is also in the Spanish Wikipedia, they says its possible the revolver involved was a present from Franco! Whether his brother was drunk at the time is not revealed.
Flexichick
20 Oct 06 at 7:20 pm
If true, it’s pretty sad. Poor bear.
Maybe Juan Carlos should go hunting with (U.S. Vice President) Dick Cheney.
If you didn’t see the news a few months ago – Cheney went hunting and ended up shooting his best friend in the face. Doh!
Edith
21 Oct 06 at 10:57 am
Boys and their toys…
turquesa1980
31 Oct 06 at 8:38 pm
I don’t know if he killed the bear, but I know hje killed his own brither. But it’s not funny, because it was an accident.
It’s better if you read more things: he was very important when Franco died and he helped Spain with new rights.
And…. he wasn’t Franco’s friend: Franco hated Juan Carlos’ father, Don Juan de Borbón, so he couldn’t be the prince and he died having been a king’s son and a king’s father, but not the king.
W
4 Aug 08 at 3:19 pm
A psychopath from a long line of psychopaths, they are specially bred to keep us in bondage. They despise us and the public are totally unaware that they want to eliminate 90% of us. Just Look up the Georgia guidestones and you will realise that we are a huge threat to the establishment as we are getting wiser.
Maybe The King told his brother secretly that their father would never be king and that Franco had promised him this and they began to argue. The staff at the house have alleged that a shotgun was also fired, perhapd Juan Carlos shot in self defense.
If you do you research most monarchs have commited terrible acts, it’s genetics.
By the way he is also the King of Jerusalem……
ValenciaSon
5 Aug 08 at 2:34 am
W’s grasp of history is only matched by his world-famous mastery over geography.
Edith
5 Aug 08 at 10:11 am
W confuses pop culture, pseudoscience and conspiracy theories with history.