Spanish Princess Likely To Face Corruption Charges

Well, this is definitely a besmirchment of the much-vaunted clean slate.

Just days after the coronation of King Felipe VI of Spain, it was announced that the Infanta Cristina, his sister, should face trial on corruption charges.

The ruling will bring back attention to a scandal that blighted the final years of the reign of 76 year-old King Juan Carlos.

The Telegraph reports that a judge recommended the move today.

Princess Cristina will face charges of tax evasion and money laundering, the paper claims, saying the move opens "the path to an unprecedented criminal trial."Iñaki Urdangarin, 49, the former Olympic handball champion who married Princess Cristina to become the Duke of Palma in 1997, is to face nine separate charges of criminal activity. He is accused of embezzlement of public funds.

The princess has no legal immunity and will likely become the first Spanish royal to face trial since the monarchy was restored in 1975.

n a 167-page ruling, Judge José Castro said there were signs she may have been a party to, and benefited from, alleged fraud by her husband.