Spanish king feels heat of son-in-law’s legal troubles
Aging monarch heckled, seen as out of touch
MADRID, When King Juan Carlos appeared at a recent basketball game, he was greeted by persistent heckling and whistling. It was an unprecedented spectacle in a nearly four-decade reign over which the monarch has basked in the nation’s love and respect.
What happened? The immediate cause is a corruption scandal engulfing Juan Carlos’ son-in-law, Inaki Urdangarin, which has angered Spaniards in a time of crushing austerity. But the aging Juan Carlos himself has seemed increasingly out of touch with his people.
Urdangarin, married to the 75-year-old king’s second daughter, Princess Cristina, is accused of using his position to embezzle several million dollars in public contracts assigned to a non-profit foundation he set up. The 45-year-old businessman, who denies any wrongdoing, gives testimony Saturday.
Juan Carlos, whose health has been declining along with his reputation, and the Spanish monarchy are facing one of their biggest crises ever. “There is no deep-seated admiration for the monarchy as an institution as you’ll find in the U.K. or in Holland,” said Tom Burns Maranon, who has written several books about Juan Carlos. “The whole thing is almost a personal loyalty to the king. If the king’s standing and reputation comes shooting down, then you’re in a very sticky position.”
The charismatic Juan Carlos, who took the throne in 1975 two days after the death of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco, is widely credited with helping the country usher in democracy — and with saving it by staring down a military coup in 1981.
Yet the stories of greed emerging from the Urdangarin case have deepened the sense that the royals are living large at the expense of a suffering nation. Juan Carlos was vilified last year after going on a luxurious African safari to hunt elephants while his subjects were being battered by economic woes and sky-high unemployment.