For more than four decades, Spain’s failed military coup of 1981 has cast a lingering cloud over the reputation of the former king, Juan Carlos I, amid persistent claims that he may have played a role in the plot.
Those claims has now been undermined by newly declassified state documents in which the coup’s military conspirators openly criticise themselves for one key error: ‘letting the Bourbon go free and treating him as if he were a gentleman’ — a reference to Spain’s royal family. The remark is widely seen as reinforcing historians’ long-held view that Juan Carlos was not involved in the conspiracy.
At the same time, the files released by the government reveal that elements within Spain’s own intelligence services were implicated in the attempted coup, which rocked the country just six years after the death of dictator Francisco Franco.
Among the documents is an internal report by the former intelligence agency CESID acknowledging that ‘investigations have confirmed that some members of this unit actively participated in the events of 23 February’.
The report adds: ‘This involvement involves six individuals who either knew about the events before 23 February 23 who planned operational support that was carried out and who subsequently attempted to cover up their involvement by initiating an operation that would justify their movements on 23 February.’
‘Regardless of these events, some other members of the unit subsequently adopted positions of solidarity with the members [of CESID] who participated on 23 February.’
The declassification sheds new light on the events of 23-F — as the coup attempt is known in Spain — an episode that remains a national trauma and a defining moment in the country’s democratic transition.
Few images are as deeply ingrained in Spain’s collective memory as that of Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero Molina, moustached and wearing a Guardia Civil tricorn hat, storming parliament with a revolver in hand. Tejero led more than 250 armed Guardia Civil officers into the Spanish Congress building in Madrid.
In a striking coincidence, it was announced on Wednesday that Tejero — who served 15 years in prison for his role in the coup — had died at the age of 93. ALSO READ: Spain’s 1981 coup leader Antonio Tejero dies aged 93, on same day files are declassified.
On 23 February 1981, Spain was gripped by uncertainty for more than 17 hours as 350 members of parliament were held hostage inside the chamber, while tanks also rolled through the streets of Valencia under the command of Captain General Jaime Milans del Bosch.
The coup unravelled only after king Juan Carlos appeared on television shortly after 1am, dressed in military uniform (main image), to affirm the Crown’s loyalty to the constitution and to democracy.
Tejero and his fellow plotters — among them Milans del Bosch and Major General Alfonso Armada, a former military instructor and personal secretary to the king — had sought to reverse what they perceived as Spain’s rapid disintegration. They opposed reforms that had legalised the Communist Party and granted far-reaching autonomy to Spain’s regions.
The newly released papers confirm that as the coup unfolded, Juan Carlos ordered that Armada be prevented from approaching him at the Zarzuela Palace.
They also reveal the depth of hostility some officers felt towards the monarch, describing him as someone who ‘will continue with his suicidal attempt to form a government with the Socialists, and cannot be considered a symbol to be respected’.
The documents further detail the growing despair of Tejero’s wife, Carmen Díez Pereira, who realised hours into the coup that her husband lacked military backing. Transcripts of telephone calls record her attempts to reach him and her fears that he would be killed.
In one conversation, she says she contacted the captain-general of Valencia and a colonel on the general staff, asking for a vehicle to take her to speak to her husband. In another, she laments: ‘Have you seen how disgusting this is? They’ve [the plotters] left him lying here like a cigarette butt. They’ve left him alone, they’ve deceived him.’
In other documents, Carmen Díez also refers to her husband on several occasions as ‘stupid’ and ‘a disgrace’. ALSO READ: Spain to release classified files on failed 1981 coup attempt.
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24 horas después de que los documentos desclasificados del 23-F confirmaran el papel del rey frente a la intentona golpista, el líder del PP pide que Juan Carlos I vuelva a España. El Gobierno responde que nunca le ha negado la entrada.
— Telediarios de TVE (@telediario_tve) February 26, 2026
🎙️@M_Bartolome
▶️https://t.co/ZgJQU9hav8 pic.twitter.com/3fb0FzYBk7
Desde hoy, los documentos desclasificados sobre el intento de golpe de Estado del 23-F de 1981 pueden consultarse.
— La Moncloa (@desdelamoncloa) February 25, 2026
Un paso más en el compromiso por la transparencia sobre nuestra historia democrática.
Documentos accesibles, aquí 👇🏼https://t.co/RJObQSr3s5 pic.twitter.com/EQ38M4FuCw
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