All international events have taken a back seat for Spaniards as the country discusses the divorce of Infanta Cristina, the younger sister of King Philip VI, and her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin. The couple have four children and have lived together for 25 years, overcoming a high-profile scandal that ended in a prison term for Urdangarin for fraud. And now they have decided to separate.
“By mutual consent, we have decided to terminate our marital relationship. Since this is a personal matter, we ask everyone around us to be respectful,” the statement circulated reads. It is also noted that they will continue to take care of the children together.
As local media have pointed out, the royal palace of Zarzuela has not commented in any way on the announcement. The fact is that according to a decree of 1987, the royal family is the current monarch, his wife, children and parents. Now it is King Philip VI, Queen Letizia, Crown Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia, as well as the honorary King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia. Neither the monarch’s older sister Elena nor the younger Cristina have been considered members of the royal family since 2014, when Philip VI ascended the throne.
It is also noted that the wording used by Infanta Cristina and Urdangarin – “to terminate our conjugal relationship” – is very similar to the statement made by her sister Infanta Elena before her divorce from Jaime de Marichalar.
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