Being the daughter of a king means you’re already thrust into the limelight as a young child.
Her time in the royal spotlight has been nothing short of dramatic.
Alongside herfather’s corruption scandals, many blame her for the public’s relationship with the royals turning sour.
Due to her association with her husband, her image has become synonymous with corruption.
This has likely prompted her brother, King Felipe VI, to strategically distance himself from her.
Despite being family, Princess Cristina has a dark cloud of bad publicity over her head.
Here’s everything you’re gonna wanna know about her.
During the opening ceremony, she was given the honor of being the flag-bearer for Spain.
Her love for sailing continued on as she served as the president of the International Foundation for Disabled Sailing.
Despite her love for sailing, she chose not to pursue a career in sports.
In fact, the princess decided to study in school and made history while doing so.
According toDigital Journal, she was one of the first women in theSpanish royal familyto achieve a degree.
Urdangarian would go on to win a bronze medal from the event.
However, that wasn’t the only thing he won he also caught the eye of Princess Cristina.
And the rest was royal history.
According toCNN, the televised wedding was watched in nearly 40 countries and had a royal guest list.
In her hair was a vintage floral tiara.
The embezzled money allegedly went to a real estate firm that the couple owned.
Investigators accused the couple of using the company’s funds to pay for their lavish lifestyle.
The princess was ordered to appear in court, and her personal finances were made public.
The court sentenced him to six years and three months in prison, perNBC News.
His association with the royal family caused a great deal of embarrassment for them.
After this scandal, the Spanish media began openly mocking them, and the public lost faith in them.
On the other hand, Princess Cristina was given a break.
She was acquitted of tax fraud, but was ordered to pay a $280,000 civil responsibility fine.
Despite her lenient punishment, being associated with this trial did severe damage to her public image.
She was charged with two counts of tax fraud and was facing up to eight years in prison.
Inaki Urdangarin was facing a 19-year sentence for allegedly laundering millions.
The princess legally refused to answer questions from the anti-corruption group, and instead only addressed her lawyer.
When she finally spoke, she explained that she was mostly in the dark about the family finances.
“At that time my children were very small and we were very busy,” She answered.
“[My husband] was in charge of the family expenses.
I didn’t get involved in that.”
She testified that she believed in his innocence.
The anti-corruption group’s case against her fell apart when the group’s leader was accused of extortion.
Her brother stripped her of her duchess title
Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
According tothe Associated Press, unlike the public, the princess wasn’t shocked by the news.
Her lawyer claimed it was her who suggested it.
She reportedly wrote a letter to her brother asking for the title to be removed.
According toThe Guardian, the couple was forced to sell their Barcelona mansion to pay for their court bonds.
After selling the family home, the princess left Barcelona in shame.
While laying low in Switzerland, the princess began working for a charity there, perThe Herald Sun.
Her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, remained in Spain as he was being investigated.
This would have allowed her to visit him more frequently while he was in prison.
“He thought she would be an embarrassment.”
This made it clear that King Felipe calls all the shots.
They stuck by each other’s side, and were devoted to their four children.
Sources close to Infanta Cristina claimed she wasn’t surprised by the news of the mystery woman.
“These things happen,” he told the press (viaExpress).
Days later his mother announced she was separating from Urdangarin after 24 years of marriage.
The couple later released a joint statement confirming their divorce.
“Our commitment to our children remains intact.
Since this is a private decision we ask the utmost respect of all those around us.”
At most, family drama usually stays on Facebook.
For royal families, their feuds are usually rumored in the press and are quickly denied to avoid drama.
In those emails, Urdangarin endlessly mocksKing Felipe’s wife, Queen Letizia.
The emails date back to 2003 long before he took over the throne.
Urdangarin tried to get ahead of the scandal by petitioning the court to prevent them from being leaked.
However, his attempt was unsuccessful, and the emails caught everyone’s attention.
Their names were even scrubbed on the royal website; only the king’s family is mentioned.
According toExpress, The Queen has been hyper-focused on ensuring her daughters have a good image.
She reportedly doesn’t want them becoming an influencer like their cousin, Victoria Federica.
Despite their numerous controversies, their four children have managed to live a private life.
22-year-old Pablo Urdangarin has followed in his famous father’s footsteps.
After attending school in Geneva, Pablo joined the Barcelona handball team.
With an interest in sports, Pablo studied sports management at the University of Barcelona.
The three other children live outside of the spotlight.
The youngest and only girl of the bunch, Irene, lives with her mother in Switzerland.
Miguel also lives in London and studied Marine Science.
According toRoyalFamily.News, their lavish lifestyle reportedly costs their mother $16,000 a month.
