ABU DHABI (BLOOMBERG) - Former King Juan Carlos I appears to have travelled to Abu Dhabi after abandoning Spain amid allegations of corruption.

A photograph obtained by the NIUS news website purports to show the former head of state stepping off a plane at the airport in the United Arab Emirates.

Speculation has swirled in Spain on the whereabouts of Juan Carlos, 82, after he shocked the nation by announcing his decision to go into exile in a letter published by the royal family on Aug 3.

His son, King Felipe VI, has spent the past six months attempting to distance himself from mounting allegations of wrongdoing by his father.

In June, prosecutors with Spain's Supreme Court said they were probing Juan Carlos' role in awarding a contract to build a high-speed train line between Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia to a group that includes Spanish companies.

That followed a decision by Felipe to renounce any future inheritance from his father and strip Juan Carlos of his retirement allowance.

Juan Carlos' flight has revived debate about the monarchy and is providing fresh impetus for Catalan separatists.

Catalonia's Parliament on Friday (Aug 7) voted to condemn the monarchy following Juan Carlos' departure from Spain.

Juan Carlos abdicated the throne in 2014 in favour of Felipe amid concerns that the declining popularity of the monarch would turn public opinion against the institution itself.