Juan Carlos I of Spain

Born in Rome in 1938 while Spain's royal family lived in exile, Juan Carlos returned at nine and was groomed by Franco, who in 1969 bypassed the boy's liberal father and named him successor. He became king in November 1975, and instead of preserving the regime, pushed through democratic reforms that led to the 1978 constitution restoring constitutional monarchy. In 1981 he personally blocked a military coup attempting to restore Franco's order. By 2008 he was Ibero-America's most popular leader, but the shine wore off: a 2012 elephant-hunting trip during Spain's financial collapse, then mounti…