Spain’s former King Juan Carlos I on Tuesday reopened a British court battle to gain immunity over claims of harassment from his former mistress, just as a new podcast detailing her claims is being released.
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, 58, is seeking damages for assault from the 84-year-old former monarch, who ruled Spain from 1975 until his abdication in 2014.
The British resident has accused Juan Carlos, who now lives in the United Arab Emirates, of spying on and harassing her after their relationship fell apart in 2012.
She filed a harassment lawsuit in London in 2020, claiming he pressured her to return gifts worth €65 million ($65 million), including artwork and jewelry.
Juan Carlos, who appears in court under his full name Juan Carlos Alfonso Victor Maria De Borbon y Borbon, has not appeared at a hearing and has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
In March, the High Court in London rejected its claim that a 1978 British law meant English courts had no jurisdiction to hear the case because it enjoyed immunity as a royal state.
Judge Matthew Nicklin said that “whatever special status the defendant retained under the law and constitution of Spain, he was no longer a ‘sovereign’ or ‘head of state’ which would entitle him to personal immunity”.
– “agents” –
The former king’s lawyers appealed and obtained permission for a legal challenge regarding the time Juan Carlos was on the throne.
Three appeals court judges began hearing legal arguments on Tuesday. A verdict is expected in a few weeks, after which the harassment trial could continue.
Juan Carlos’ lawyer, Tim Otty, put forward his point, arguing that immunity is “a procedural bar” and says “nothing about the legality or morality of the alleged conduct.”
However, zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn’s attorney James Lewis argued that the appeal should be dismissed, claiming that the alleged harassment involved “intelligence and surveillance personnel” acting as the former king’s “agents”. have.
The hearing comes as zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, who was also absent from court on Tuesday, spoke about the relationship in a new podcast series called “Corinna and the King.”
Its publication has sparked new controversies in Spain. Its creators – two London-based journalists – defend its timing and independence from zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn.
“Imagine if someone who said they love your children – and that you are the love of their life – would include you in a criminal investigation,” she claims in the first episode, which was released on Monday.
– shots fired –
Court filings claim that the married Juan Carlos had an “intimate love affair” with the divorcee of a German prince from 2004 to 2009 and showered her with gifts.
Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn claimed that Juan Carlos began harassing her after their relationship failed, using threats, break-ins into their properties and surveillance.
Juan Carlos “demanded the return of gifts,” she claimed, and she suffered “trespassing and criminal harm” at her home in rural central England.
Shots were fired at security cameras at the property’s front gate and damaged, she claimed, accusing the former king of being angry at her refusal.
The couple’s relationship became public knowledge in 2012 when the monarch broke a hip while on an elephant hunting holiday in Botswana with zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn and had to be flown home.
The unveiling of the luxury trip, which came at the height of a recession in Spain, sparked public outrage there.
Two years later, plagued by scandals and health problems, Juan Carlos abdicated at the age of 76 in favor of his son Felipe VI, who has since distanced himself from his father.
Juan Carlos went into self-imposed exile in the United Arab Emirates in 2020.
He and his son attended Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in September and sat together.
Juan Carlos was protected for decades by his enormous popularity as a key figure in Spain’s transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.
The excesses of the monarch only came to light in the final years of his reign, sparking a spate of investigations into corruption scandals.
