MADRID: Spain’s troubled King Juan Carlos made a rare outdoor state appearance yesterday, standing to attention at a low-key military ceremony marked by crisis spending cuts.

Juan Carlos, 75, who had back surgery three months ago, walked with crutches at the brief remembrance ceremony for fallen soldiers at a war memorial in central Madrid on Spain’s annual Armed Forces Day.

He stood in his green military uniform saluting alongside his son Prince Felipe, who suffered an embarrassment on Thursday when he was booed as he sat down at the opera in Barcelona — the latest sign of the royal family’s troubles.

Juan Carlos won wide respect in Spain for helping guide it through a political transition after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, but his popularity has plunged recently.

He has been embarrassed by a corruption scandal implicating his youngest daughter Cristina, whose tax affairs are being investigated by a judge.

The king’s son-in-law, Cristina’s husband Inaki Urdangarin, has been under investigation since late 2011 for alleged embezzlement.

Juan Carlos also issued a public apology last year for going on a luxury game-hunting trip to Botswana as Spaniards struggled in a recession.

The king had both hips replaced last year and underwent surgery for slipped discs in March — his seventh operation in three years.

Defense Minister Pedro Morenes said in an interview in a local newspaper that this year’s military ceremonies were smaller, with no parades, thereby making a “big saving.”