The sins of Juan Carlos: how his lover’s accusations could lead to a trial for the emeritus king of Spain

The defense of King Emeritus of Spain, Juan Carlos Iand his ex-lover, the German-Danish businesswoman Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgensteinare locked in a legal dispute that seeks to determine whether the former monarch can avoid civil proceedings brought against him in England through his legal immunity.

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The London Court of Appeal heard arguments from both sides on Tuesday as they try to determine whether such immunity would allow the emeritus king to dodge the harassment claims imposed by the businesswoman in 2020.

THE JUDGMENT AGAINST HIM

Juan Carlos, 84, and Corinna, 57, had an extramarital affair between 2004 and 2009.

Three years after the relationship ended, the businesswoman denounces that they began a series of threats, intrusions, surveillance, hacks and defamation against her that lasted until 2020.

According to Corinna, Juan Carlos would have been behind the harassment, hoping to recover “gifts” that he would have given her during their romance, which include a sum of 65 million dollars.

As compensation, the businesswoman claims compensation for psychological damage and a restraining order against the former monarch, who is not at risk of going to jail or being extradited from Abu Dhabi, where he went into exile two years ago after being marred by multiple scandals of corruption.

Juan Carlos’s defense ensures that the emeritus king cannot be tried in England due to the State immunity law in force since 1978, which indicates that no foreign head of state can be prosecuted by British justice.

In March, the London High Court denied such immunity, but in July the Court of Appeal agreed to re-examine the case, focusing only on the period between 2012 and 2014, when he abdicated the throne.

It is expected that once the Court of Appeals issues a verdict in this regard, which could take several weeks, the harassment process against Juan Carlos will be resumed.

Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein denounced the king emeritus in 2020 for bullying and harassment.

A CONTROVERSIAL PODCAST

This latest update of the case against the former Spanish monarch comes just one day after a controversial podcast titled “Corinna and the King” was published.

In it, British journalists Bradley Hope and Tom Wright intertwine the romance between the former monarch and the businesswoman, including testimonies from Corinna herself and other people aware of the romance, with the accusations of harassment.

Corinna recounts in detail how the love of hunting allowed the two to meet, leading to a sudden friendship that would soon lead to a romance. In addition, she remembers how they managed the relationship away from the media but without hiding it from the royal family, even occupying different spaces together. The businesswoman also explains that the 65 million dollars that would have motivated the harassment of Juan Carlos would be a kind of advanced inheritance ceded by the former monarch in favor of his then-partner and her son.

You can listen to both episodes of the podcast below:

IMPACT ON THE CROWN

Although the king emeritus does not run the risk of going to jail or being extradited from his exile, this process would add to a long list of scandals that have overshadowed the once respected image of the monarch that allowed the return of democracy to Spain.

And with this, incidentally, they would affect the crown that his son, Felipe VI, currently holds.

“The subject is serious. The generation that lived through the transfer of the dictatorial regime to a democratic monarchical regime has practically passed away. And those who were boys at that time are now 70 or 80 years old. The emblematic figure of the emeritus king as leader of the transition process without bloodshed and avoiding a new Civil War has remained in the history books”, he comments to Trade the historian Arnaldo Mera.

The once respectable image of King Emeritus Juan Carlos I has been tarnished by the multiple corruption and infidelity scandals that have marred him in recent years. / AFP (DANI POZO/)

Currently, 39.1% of Spaniards consider that it is time to change the monarchical system for a republican one, to which is added 7.9% who also consider this as a viable option, while 38.9% are opposes any type of change in the system, according to a study carried out by the IMOP institute in July this year.

The IMOP figures mark an increase of five percentage points among those who support a change of model, compared to the data registered in 2021.

According to Mera, this is not only a citizen sentiment but is also reflected in political actions.

“Politicians in general are demanding that a certain amount of retaliation be taken against those who ruled during the dictatorship. That did not happen during the reign of Juan Carlos I. The best proof is the Law of Memory, published on October 21 of this year, which has removed 33 noble titles, some of which were granted by the king. If politicians are removing this, we would not be surprised if at one time they question the same legal apparatus that led from a dictatorship to a constitutional monarchy.”, explains the expert.

Mera also regrets that this scandal of the king emeritus has an impact on the management of Felipe VI who, in his opinion, has performed well during these eight years in office.

“Spanish society does not forgive him (Juan Carlos I) for all the excesses he has committed in terms of his marital infidelities. Some time ago there was a scandal in Belgium because Prince Lauren, brother of the current king, embezzled funds to build a house. In Norway there have been particular scandals, such as the marriages of the current crown prince and his sister, but the population ended up accepting them. In this case we are seeing the only case in which a contemporary monarch is sued by a mistressMera says.

Source: Elcomercio