Princess Cristina of Spain Loses Duchess of Palma Title

King Felipe VI of Spain has stripped sister Princess Cristina of her title as Duchess of Palma ahead of her tax fraud trial.

Infanta Cristina, who is to go on trial charged with tax evasion, was granted the Duchess of Palma de Mallorca title in 1997 when she married Inaki Urdangarin, a former Olympic handball player who is also accused of tax evasion.

Princess Cristina had asked King Felipe to remove her title, her lawyer said.

However, the royal palace said the king made the decision before seeing her request. Princess Cristina denies the tax fraud charges.

In the year since King Felipe, 47, succeeded his father, King Juan Carlos, to the throne, he has excluded Princess Cristina de Borbon and her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, who faces a wider array of corruption charges in the case, from the royal family’s official functions.

Prosecutors in Palma de Mallorca have long been investigating the business dealings of Inaki Urdangarin.

Inaki Urdangarin stands accused with 15 others of embezzling 5.6 million euros ($6 million) of public money from the Noos Institute – a charitable sports foundation he ran with a business partner. Princess Cristina is accused of involvement in the alleged scam.

It is the first time in modern Spain’s history that a member of the royal family has faced court cross-examination in a major corruption scandal.

Princess Cristina, 50, is the youngest daughter of former King Juan Carlos, who abdicated last year.