The Truth About King Felipe VI Of Spain

Back in 2014, when then-King of Spain Juan Carlos abdicated, experts speculated that he was trying to take the focus off of not only himself for his alleged financial and related scandals, but also off of his daughter, Cristina, and her husband, Iñaki Urdangarín, for theirs (via BBC News). Starting in 2012, Urdangarín had been under investigation for fraud and embezzlement of public funds for his personal use to the tune of millions of dollars. In 2018, Urdangarín was convicted and sentenced to more than five years in prison, per El Pais. 

Cristina was acquitted, but only by the legal system, which is to say that over the course of the investigation and trial, her brother, King Felipe stripped her of her noble title of duchess (via NBC News). He also specifically excluded her and her husband from the auspices of the royal family. But the scandals involving Cristina and Urdangarín continue to plague King Felipe. 

In early 2022, the couple once again began saturating the news cycle when Lecturas, a Spanish tabloid, published photos suggesting Urdangarín had been unfaithful. Although Cristina initially intimated she was standing by Urdangarín, the two have since separated, according to Vanity Fair.