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SPAIN’S KING FELIPE has issued a decree stripping his sister Princess Cristina of her title as Duchess of Palma, as the royal sibling faces tax evasion charges in a scandal that has embarrassed the monarchy.
“The Official Journal of the state will publish a royal decree by which His Majesty the King will revoke the use of the title of Duchess of Palma de Mallorca by Her Royal Highness the Infanta Cristina,” the palace said in a statement.
Cristina, 49, stands accused of taking part in tax evasion by her husband, the former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin.
A judge ruled in December that she must stand trial on two counts of accessory to tax fraud, making her the first member of the Spanish royal family to be sent to the dock. No date has been set for her trial.
Both Cristina and Urdangarin have suffered a dramatic fall from grace since they married in 1997 in a lavish ceremony in Barcelona and were bestowed the titles of Duke and Duchess of Palma by Felipe’s father, king Juan Carlos, who unexpectedly abdicated last year.
The couple’s multi-million-euro mansion has been impounded by the courts and Cristina was notably absent from ceremonies marking Felipe’s ascension to the throne in June 2014.
Urdangarin, 47, is accused along with a former business partner of creaming off €6 million in public funds from contracts awarded to Noos, a charitable foundation which he chaired.
Cristina’s lawyers say she is innocent of any wrongdoing and that she trusted her husband to handle their financial affairs.
The corruption controversy has outraged Spaniards and helped sour the last years of the reign of Juan Carlos, who gave up the throne after nearly four decades hoping his son could freshen up the image of the monarchy.
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Friend of mine from Madrid tells me Spain is done with the old guard monarchy and politically alike. They are moving towards a citizens rights based country they want a government and system that works for them not against them and there not going to stop until they achieve it. Good luck to them thats what you call moving forward and progress it I the 21st century not the 18th . The Monarchy and establishment are shitting themselves and rightly so. They sabotaged their own existence by lazyness and greed.
B-Egan for your information, Spain is a democratic country where the rule of law is applied, as much as Ireland.
“Citizens rights based country” What is that? Would you mind to explain?
In Spain like in any other democratic country, power brings corruption.
The law is applied, corrupts finish in court or jail and the public express their opinion through their voting.
The centre-right governing party will lose the next election (despite doing a decent economic job) and the left wing (very left in this occasion) will win. Then they will destroy the economy again and the centre right will come back. That is the democratic process, here and in Spain.
All governments will have some corruption, both will have the judiciary going after some of them.
This is the reality, the good news is the control of corruption is tighter and the level of tolerance lower than ever.
Regarding Monarchy or Republic, I enjoy our republican dribble every time the British royal family have a new baby or jubilee or a wedding or visit a castle. It is a show for the media and a monarch is much more attractive than a president.
100% Jo. The Journal is full of commentators that don’t understand democracy led by AAA, Sinn Fein of all shades, anti water, anti property tax. All single issue promise the sun, moon and stars groups that always get gobbled up when the people have to make a decision in the round at election time.
Monarchy..? Feudal theft.. Yet we still pander and fawn to these parasites., particularly the Windsor spongers of our nearest neighbour.. Over 200 yrs since the enlightenment and we still stand in awe of these scroungers. Mind boggles..
Is her dad still murdering the wildlife in Africa .
next time the media go on a welfare whichhunt against the poor. could they please include the rich that steal our taxes. I’d say welfare fraud pales in comparison to tax fraud perpetrated by the already wealthy.
The got something wrong there buddy.
Question: Who steals taxes? Answer: Governments. Any government who promises to rob Peter to pay Paul will always have Paul’s vote.
Question: Who avoids or evades taxes? Answer: anyone that can.
Happens from top to bottom in all societies. History of man and society.
Question: Why does it happen? Answer: Because most people know that massive amounts of tax collected is wasted and divided up between them by the insiders, namely those in the public pay by both salary and welfare.
Nobody on the receiving end protects the tax payer by driving real savings and reform. Taxes always increase even when they reduce the rate.
Do we want to start listing were the waste is?
Is not tax fraud is corruption the issue! Read a bit more.
Vicko it boils down to one thing and that’s money. you can be sure they’re not being accused of being to generous to the poor. these people acquired their money through nepotism and war.
my comment merely called them welfare claimants and it’s deleted, sound….
Somebody think of the children
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