Princess Letizia book threatens further embarrassment for Spain's Royals
A new book about Princess Letizia, Spain’s future Queen, threatens to heap yet more embarrassment on Spain’s Royals just days after Princess Cristina, the King’s youngest daughter was made a suspect in an embezzlement case.
Princess Letizia and Prince Felipe leave Palma de Mallorca's cathedral after they attended an Easter Sunday mass. The Crown Prince and Princess Letizia have stepped up their public role in recent weeks Photo: EPA
By Fiona Govan, Madrid 3:29PM BST 07 Apr 2013
The book is written by David Rocasolano, a once-trusted cousin of the 40-year-old Princess Letizia and promises to reveal intimate details of her life before she married Crown Prince Felipe in May 2004.
He claims in the 300 page book, which is published later this week, that the Princess, a divorcee and former newsreader had an abortion before meeting the heir to the throne and that she asked for the paperwork to be destroyed just weeks before their engagement was announced.
Mr Rocasolano claims that he was tasked by the Princess and Prince Felipe to destroy paperwork kept at the private clinic where the procedure took place in October 2002.
Entitled 'Adios Princesa’ the book portrays Letizia as an obsessive woman who lost trust in her relatives after marrying the Prince and even told lies to them in an attempt to discover who might be leaking stories to the media.
He claims that the Princess, when pregnant with the couple’s first child Leonor – born in October 2005 – told certain family members that she was carrying a boy and that he was to be named Pelayo. He said she did this to see whether the story would appear in the press.
While Prince Felipe enjoys popularity, it has taken some time for Princess Letizia to win over the hearts of Spaniards. Many Royal observers frowned on the match as she was a divorcee and a commoner.
The claims of the secret abortion led to immediate demands that the Princess explain how she was able to seek a termination at a time when it was technically illegal in Spain unless there was foetal abnormality or the pregnancy threatened the life or mental well being of the mother.
Spain’s Catholic newspaper La Gaceta dedicated its front page to the allegation on Sunday and demanded an investigation into the matter. A spokesman for the Royal household said that they were aware of the book, but had no comment to make.
The book comes at a time of increased scrutiny of Spain’s royals following a move by authorities to name Princess Cristina, the youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos as a suspect in a fraud case.
Princess Cristina was subpoenaed to appear before a judge in Palma de Mallorca under suspicion of having known about and aided her husband, Inaki Urdangarin in influence peddling and embezzlement of public funds through the not for profit Noos Institute.
The Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia have stepped up their public role in recent weeks while King Juan Carlos recuperates from an operation on his back – the fourth surgery in a year.
Support for having a monarchy in Spain has fallen to a historic low of 54 per cent, according to a poll published in January, following a year that saw King Juan Carlos make an unprecedented public apology following an ill-fated safari to Botswana to hunt elephants.
Last month another poll showed 85.9 per cent of Spaniards would welcome the King abdicating in favour of his son.
