He didn't, as promised, hug the King.

But after keeping the Spanish monarch waiting for an hour at his Majorca palace, Venezuela's president Hugo Chávez was nevertheless smiling and effusive, cracking jokes in an effort to put the harsh words of yesteryear behind him.

Juan Carlos I met the Venezuelan leader with a warm smile, shaking hands and affectionately patting him on the arm. “Thanks for making the effort to come,” the king said. “I'm happy to see you.”

Mr Chávez grinned broadly and joked about Majorca's summer heat. “Why don't we go to the beach?” he asked. “This is like the Caribbean. It feels like we're in Cuba, Jamaica or Margarita.”

King Juan Carlos sparked a diplomatic row at a summit in November when he lost his royal composure and shouted: “Why don't you shut up?” at the Venezuelan leader.

The outburst, which came after the Venezuelan leader repeatedly interrupted the Spanish Prime Minister, became an instant classic in Spanish-speaking countries. The catchphrase was emblazoned on Spanish football scarves and quickly became one of the country's most popular mobile ring tones.

An angry Mr Chávez initially threatened to retaliate against Spanish companies operating in the South American nation. But he has since relented, seeking to dampen feuds with Spain and Colombia.

After an hour-long meeting with the king, Mr Chávez left the royal holiday home to fly to Madrid, where he was set to meet the Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. At the November summit the Spanish leader reprimanded his Venezuelan counterpart for calling his predecessor a “fascist”.

Venezuela's leftist leader is not known for his diplomatic style. He compares George W. Bush with Lucifer and famously said that it smelt of sulphur on the United Nations podium where he had spoken earlier. He also accused Angela Merkel of coming from “the same German Right that had supported the Nazis”.

He has called centre-Right politicians from Colombia and Mexico traitors, pawns of the US “empire” and accused them of being unfit to govern.

Spain was the final port of call in the Venezuelan leader's European tour, which has included stops in Russia, Belarus and Portugal.

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