Since his abdication in 2014, ex-King Juan Carlos has been the subject of a number of scandals. In London, the Spaniard has to defend himself against allegations of harassment from his former lover. In the legal dispute he now manages a decisive coup.
The Spanish king Juan Carlos has achieved a surprising partial success in court in connection with a harassment lawsuit brought by his former lover Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. Two judges allowed the 84-year-old to appeal against a London court's decision that he no longer enjoyed immunity.
In March, the London High Court rejected the ex-monarch's request for the case to be dropped. Juan Carlos is "no longer a 'sovereign' or 'head of state'" and therefore does not enjoy immunity, the court ruled. However, two judges of the Court of Appeal have now allowed Juan Carlos to appeal this decision.
The German-Danish businesswoman Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, who had a relationship with the then king from 2004 to 2009, sued him for damages for harassment. Among other things, she accuses the 84-year-old of massive "covert and open surveillance measures" after the end of their relationship. She and her relatives were monitored and threatened on his behalf. Juan Carlos denies the allegations.
The ex-king, who was once highly regarded for his work in Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy, has been caught up in numerous scandals, not least since his abdication in 2014. Among other things, it was about an elephant hunt in Botswana, paternity suits, questionable gifts of money worth millions from Saudi Arabia and allegations of money laundering and fraud.
In the course of investigations into alleged corruption and tax evasion, Juan Carlos left his home country in August 2020 and went into exile in Abu Dhabi. Three investigations by the Spanish judiciary against the former monarch were dropped in March.
