Rumoured Spanish royal affair could spark civil war

Rumours of an affair between a European queen and her brother-in-law have cast doubt on the line of succession and threatened to end an era.

When Prince William was accused of an affair, the “other woman” was invited to the King’s coronation and Catherine carried on. In Denmark, meanwhile, a Mexican socialite wrote a sternly-worded letter and Princess Mary took the kids to Australia.

But on the Iberian Peninsula, where blood runs hotter, the Spanish Queen’s alleged lover-turned-brother-in-law says he’s receiving death threats over sensational claims that threaten to take down King Felipe, sow doubt into the line of succession, and inflame the country into an all-out civil war.

The Continent’s two royal households, both alike in indignity, just made the Windsor’s marital mishaps look like misdemeanours.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain are embroiled in a royal scandal. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

“The big difference between the British royal family and the European royal families is really the way they deal with the media,” royal expert Neil Sean said.

“Over here in the United Kingdom, the British monarchy would simply not respond to any of those types of stories.

“And we [the media] still very much operate under the 1950s style of reporting regarding the Royals; there is simply more respect.”

Spanish media, however, set off one of the largest royal scandals to stun Europe when they published curious photos of Crown Prince Frederik with a Mexican socialite in Madrid, only for that juicy image to be outdone with an even more salacious story of Queen Letizia engaging in a long-running affair with her brother-in-law that continued well into her marriage with the King.

What the palaces in Madrid and Copenhagen do next could inform huge societal shifts in Europe, from the Catalan region achieving independence from Spain to whether Princess Mary ascends the throne of Denmark in 2024.

Or, like accusations that have nipped at the heels of Prince William for the past four years, they remain little more than a niggling PR hiccup confined to the society pages of the Fleet Street red tops.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have never commented on rumours of an affair. Picture: Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The most recent royal scandal began when Jaime del Burgo, Queen Letizia’s long-time friend who went on to marry her sister, claimed they continued an affair even as she had two pregnancies during her marriage to the King.

Those two children are the heir and the spare to the throne of Spain. The implications are manifest. Spaniards dare whisper it. The first in the line of succession, Princess Leonor, turned 18 in October.

While the book that set off the firestorm, Letizia y Yo, by Spanish journalist Jaime Peñafiel, did not detail the full extent of the relationship, del Burgo later claimed online their tryst began before the marriage to then-prince Felipe in 2004, and continued until Letizia ended it in 2011.

“Their relationship ended because she fell in love with then Prince Felipe,” Mr Peñafiel when asked about the discrepancy said.

“I stand by what I wrote in the book. For the rest you should ask Mr del Burgo.”

As alleged proof, del Burgo posted a previously unseen selfie of a pregnant Queen on Twitter along with what he said was her caption: “Love. I wear your pashmina. It’s like feeling you by my side. It takes care of me. It protects me. I count the hours until we see each other again. Love you. Get out of here. Yours.”

The tweet. Picture: Jaime Del Burgo/X

While del Burgo did not comment when contacted, it is understood the timing of the allegations – almost 20 years after Letizia married Felipe – suggests a response to the royal family’s recent support of what is considered a Communist takeover of the country.

No stranger to civil war, Spain is in the midst of a deep political divide. Recent elections failed to yield an outright majority, but the left-wing socialists took power by striking a coalition pact with the pro-independence Catalan party. To seal that deal, the leftists offered an anti-constitutional amnesty to the separatists for previously holding an illegal independence referendum.

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest the “coup” and demand fresh elections. But with the support of the King and Queen, the coalition held.

After deleting the image of Queen Letizia – one of dozens of keepsakes he says he keeps in a safe as evidence – del Burgo returned to X (formerly Twitter) to stand by his accusations.

“I hold no grudge against those who have threatened to kill me,” he wrote. “I don’t feel proud. But the truth is what it is. I recognise only one king in heaven, and his name is Jesus of Nazareth. He will judge me.”

Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia, and Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary are all embroiled in royal scandals at the moment. Picture: Getty Images

But the public will judge Queen Letizia, said Mr Sean, a widely popular royal author who chronicles the palace’s daily headlines. He added that the Continent’s remaining royals are considered even more of a soap opera than the British monarchy, which puts their survival at greater risk from the fallout.

“The bigger problem for the European roses is they don’t have as much international popularity,” he said.

The Spanish royal family’s grip on the throne is tenuous at best, and ripe for the picking at worst. A recent poll by El Diario found that 45 per cent would support a republic if there were a referendum, while only 43.5 per cent back the royals.

The del Burgo scandal, true or otherwise, has the potential to do more damage in Spain than Geneveva Casanova could wreak in Denmark, where 76.7 per cent of Danes polled support the country remaining a monarchy.

Casanova, the Mexican socialite pictured with Prince Frederik during dinner and a Picasso show, issued an emphatic denial of a “romantic relationship”.

“Any statement of this type is not only completely untrue but also distorts the facts in a malicious manner,” she said in a statement.

“This is already in the hands of my lawyers, who will take care of the pertinent steps to protect my right to honour, truth and privacy.”

Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has remained silent.

She appeared by her husband’s side during formal and social duties, wearing an 18-carat gold letter “F” around her neck no less, and appeared with the whole family in a Christmas video.

Set to the tune of Santa Clause is Coming to Town, the smiling princess decorated the tree with her four children as Frank Sinatra sang “he’s going to find out who’s naughty and nice”.

Everyone else will have to wait until to find out if Frederik’s been bad or good, for goodness sake. With 83-year-old Queen Margrethe II suffering major health issues this year, 2024 is speculated as the year Frederik and Mary could ascend to the throne if they don’t first descend to divorce court.

Prince Frederik and Princess Mary put on a united front. Picture: Ida Marie Odgaard / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP

Despite the show of unity in the immediate aftermath of Frederik’s Madrid mystery night, Princess Mary fuelled further speculation by travelling to Australia alone with the kids ahead of the holidays.

To fully dispel the rumours, the Danish royals would be well served following the masterclass set by the Prince and Princess of Wales.

For years, Prince William has been the subject of rumours of an affair with aristocratic neighbour Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley.

After US magazine In Touch became the first to publish rumours of an affair in 2019, lawyers at Harbottle and Lewis served at least one British publication with legal warnings after publishing some of the allegations, according to The Daily Beast.

Kensington Palace insiders were activated to dispel the claims as “totally wrong and false” to friendly media reporters. Hanbury, meanwhile, was not only invited to the coronation of King Charles III but her son, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, featured prominently in the ceremony alongside William and Kate’s eldest son and heir to the throne, Prince George.

As a result, the salacious details of that particular unverified rumour have stayed in shadowy corners of the internet, despite searches for “pegging” going up 400 per cent and the #PrinceOfPegging hashtag trending on Twitter.