LONDON: A London court has dismissed a 145m euros (£126m) legal case brought by a former lover of the ex-king of Spain.
Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, a Danish businesswoman had accused Juan Carlos of directing a harassment campaign against her after their relationship broke down in 2012. The lady alleged the intimidation – including spying and break ins – began after she refused to return millions of pounds worth of gifts from him. However, the ex-king denied the allegations.
On Friday, a judge ruled that the High Court of England and Wales had no jurisdiction in the case, however, he made no judgement on the substance of the allegations.
Judge Rowena Collins Rice further observed that Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein – a British citizen – had not “sufficiently established that the ‘harmful event’ of which she complains, harassment by the defendant, happened in England”.
A spokesperson for the 85-year-old former monarch described Friday’s ruling as “unsurprisingly” confirming his innocence and said it re-established the “conditions necessary for further public appearances”.
The woman, who filed the harassment case in 2020, said she was “deeply disappointed” by the decision and that it was “disheartening to see that victims of harassment often struggle to find justice in our legal system”.
Prior to the decision, UK judges ruled in December last year that the woman could not sue the former monarch over allegations relating to time he served as king as he had immunity as sovereign.
Ms zu claimed that the monarch pressured her to return gifts worth 65m euros after their relationship broke down, following the couple’s notorious elephant-hunting trip to Botswana in 2012. The trip – in which Juan Carlos was injured and had to be flown home – triggered public anger as the country was tackling a financial crisis and record unemployment.
The ex-king of Spain has lived largely in exile in the UAE since 2020, after leaving the country over allegations of fraud which were eventually dropped.
King, Spain, London, Court, Lover, Legal Case, Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, Juan Carlos
