MADRID: Spain's King Juan Carlos arrived at hospital on Thursday for a hip replacement, the latest in a string of operations that have raised questions about the future of his reign.
The 75-year-old monarch waved from the window of the car as he was driven up to Quiron University Hospital in the western suburbs of Madrid, and joked with waiting reporters, saying they were "prepared" to wait in the cold weather.
Surgeons were due to fit a permanent prosthesis for his left hip, replacing a temporary implant they put in on September 24.
An earlier one fitted in November 2012 had led to the joint getting infected.
Thursday's procedure is his ninth operation since May 2010.
The sight of the king appearing in public on crutches and looking frail over recent months and the news of the latest operations had fuelled speculation of a possible abdication, despite palace denials.
Juan Carlos is widely respected for his role in guiding Spain's transition to democracy after the death of longtime dictator General Francisco Franco in 1975.
But his image has suffered since 2011 when a corruption scandal erupted that has since implicated his youngest daughter Cristina.
He also lost sympathy last year for making an expensive elephant-hunting holiday in Botswana, while Spaniards struggled through a recession. (AFP)
