Juan Carlos is still facing a court battle over claims made about his conduct. (file)
London:
Three appeals judges in London ruled Tuesday that the ex-mistress of Spain’s former King Juan Carlos I could not sue for harassment in English courts while he was on the throne.
The judges said in a written ruling that he was “immune from jurisdiction” in England and Wales until his resignation in 2014.
This means Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn could pursue the 84-year-old former monarch in the English courts for his alleged behavior even after that time.
Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, who lives in England, is seeking “injunctions and damages” because of a “sustained and ongoing campaign of harassment” against her.
He claims that the campaign began in 2012 following the “breakup of an intimate romantic relationship”, and continues to this day.
She filed a harassment suit in London in 2020, alleging he pressured her to return gifts worth 65 million euros ($65 million), including works of art and jewellery.
His legal representatives called Tuesday’s decision “disappointing,” but added that it affected only a small part of his case.
“Corinna’s claim may now move to trial at the High Court in London,” said Michael Kim of law firm Kobre & Kim.
– ‘Romantic relationship’ –
“The decision applies to a very narrow issue. It only relates to the period when Juan Carlos was king of Spain,” he said.
“The overwhelming majority of Corinna’s claim, from 2014, remains unsupported and should proceed to trial.”
Juan Carlos, who is listed in court under his full name Juan Carlos Alfonso Victor María de Borbón y Borbón, has so far not appeared at the hearings and vehemently denies any wrongdoing.
In March, the High Court in London completely rejected Juan Carlos’s claim that the English courts had no jurisdiction to hear the matter because he had immunity of state as a royal.
Judge Mathieu 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’ to entitle him to personal immunity”.
He challenged the verdict and took the case to the Court of Appeal.
The court claimed that Juan Carlos, who is married, was in an “intimate romantic relationship” with the divorcee from 2004 to 2009 and showered her with gifts.
– self-imposed exile –
She alleged that Juan Carlos began harassing her after their relationship broke up, using threats, vandalism, and surveillance of her properties.
He damaged the security cameras at the front gate of the estate, he alleges, angering the former king over his refusal to do so.
The couple’s relationship became known in 2012, when the monarch broke a hip while on holiday in Botswana with Zou Sion-Wittgenstein-Sion and had to go home amid a period of record unemployment in Spain, sparking public anger.
Two years later, due to scandals and health problems, Juan Carlos abdicated at the age of 76 in favor of his son, Felipe VI, who has now publicly distanced himself from his father.
Juan Carlos went into self-imposed exile in the United Arab Emirates in 2020.
The pair attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September and were seated together.
Juan Carlos was protected for decades by his overwhelming popularity as a key figure in the democratic transition following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.
The emperor’s excesses came to the fore only in the last years of his reign, leading to investigations into corruption scandals.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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