ROYAL MESS

Spanish Princess to Be Tried for Fraud

Husband allegedly embezzled millions.

On Monday, a Spanish judge ordered Princess Cristina, the sister of the king of Spain, to stand trial for tax fraud. The charges are related to the business dealings of her husband, former Olympic handball champion Inaki Urdangarin. He is accused of embezzling millions of dollars in public funds from the Noos Institute, a charitable sports organization, while he was its head. Of the missing €5.6 million ($7.5 million), Cristina is under suspicion for €2.6 million. If convicted, Cristina could face as much as four years behind bars. This is the first time a member of the Spanish royal family has faced charges in court since the family was restored to the throne in 1975. It has not been a stellar year for the Spanish royal family. King Juan Carlos abdicated this year after, among other things, taking an elephant-hunting trip in the middle of the country’s financial crisis.