The Zarzuela Palace was the home of King Juan Carlos I from May 1962 until his departure to live abroad, following allegations of financial impropriety, in August 2020.

[2] During the 17th century, King Philip IV of Spain ordered a country palace or hunting lodge to be built at La Zarzuela near Madrid.

King Charles IV had the building altered[2] to adapt it to 18th-century fashion and adorned it with tapestries and porcelain, as well as furniture and his much-loved clocks.

After the death of the dictator Francisco Franco in November 1975, the King decided not to occupy the Royal Palace of El Pardo, leaving it for foreign state guests, designating the Palacio de la Moncloa as the residence of the President of the Spanish Government, while they remained at the Zarzuela.

[2] During the summer of 2002, King Felipe VI, then Prince of Asturias, moved into a new residence, a 3,150-square-metre (33,900 sq ft) pavilion built within the grounds of the Palace of La Zarzuela.