Ex-king Juan Carlos in feud with his mistress

 Ex-king Juan Carlos in feud with his mistress

Of:

Jenny Alexandersson

PUBLISHED: TODAY 11.30

UPDATED: TODAY 18.06

Juan Carlos I

King Juan Carlos showered his mistress Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with money, jewels and art.

When the relationship ended, he demanded to get everything back.

Now Corinna's ex - king is suing for harassment and threats.

Spain's ex-king Juan Carlos is accused of spying on and harassing Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. And now the court has ruled that the king can not rely on his previous immunity as regent. The legal process will continue.

Corinna and Juan Carlos had a relationship between 2004 and 2009. According to Corinna, he had recently ended a twenty-year relationship with another mistress when the two met. The marriage to Queen Sofia was simply a loveless arrangement marriage.

Juan Carlos' gifts to his mistress were often of the extravagant kind - and the biggest gift was shockingly large.

In 2008, the Saudi king Juan Carlos gave about one billion Swedish kronor. It was a "gift" in connection with several Spanish companies winning the contract for the high-speed railway between Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein accuses King Juan Carlos of harassing and persecuting her.

Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein accuses King Juan Carlos of harassing and persecuting her.

Photo: Mark Von Holden / AP

"He had an outburst of rage"

A large part of that money, around SEK 600 million, was passed on to Corinna. Courts in Switzerland and Spain ruled that it was money laundering, but Swiss prosecutors dropped the corruption case in December last year. In the spring, the Spanish court announced that it will not proceed with the legal process against the ex-king.

Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 and handed over the throne to his son Felipe after a long line of scandals tarnished his reputation. Many believe that Corinna's million gift was that the king wanted to secure a large part of his fortune for the future.

In an interview with the BBC two years ago, Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein said that the king wanted to resume the love affair with her after the abdication.

- In 2014, he desperately tried to get me back. Eventually he realized I would not come back and he went completely crazy. He asked me to give everything back to him. "I think it was just an outburst of rage," Corinna told the BBC.

Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein on her way to court in London in March 2022.

Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein on her way to court in London in March 2022.

Photo: Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 and handed over the Spanish throne to his son Felipe.

Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 and handed over the Spanish throne to his son Felipe.

Photo: Andrea Comas / AP

Was threatened with death in his home

When Corinna nobbed the ex-king, she began to feel persecuted. She claims that it was the Spanish intelligence service that monitored her and that she searched her apartment in Monaco. During a business trip to Brazil, Corinna received an anonymous death threat saying that there are many tunnels between Monaco and Nice. According to Corinna, it was a reference to the car crash with Princess Diana in 1997.

In Corinna's Swiss apartment, someone had placed a book in her living room about Diana's death. It was also a disguised threat according to Corinna.

She also claims in the interview with the BBC that she was visited by the head of Spain's intelligence service. He should have been sent by Juan Carlos and she was warned to speak to the media. If she did, her or her children's physical health and safety could not be guaranteed.

She also discovered that someone had drilled a hole in her bedroom window and that someone had shot at her surveillance cameras. Both incidents were reported to the police according to The Guardian.

The Spanish security service has not commented on the information in the BBC interview.

Juan Carlos' son was allowed to take over after his father when he abdicated. King Felipe and Queen Letizia visited the Swedish royal couple on a state visit in November 2021.

Juan Carlos' son was allowed to take over after his father when he abdicated. King Felipe and Queen Letizia visited the Swedish royal couple on a state visit in November 2021.

Photo: Jonas Ekstromer / TT

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