The Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarin announce that they have decided to "interrupt their marriage relationship"
The Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarin have decided, "by mutual agreement, to interrupt their marital relationship" after the former Duke of Palma's relationship with another woman became known last week, according to both in a statement sent to EFE in which they underline that the commitment to their four children "remains intact".
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"By mutual agreement, we have decided to interrupt our marriage relationship. The commitment to our children remains intact. Since it is a private decision, we ask for the utmost respect from all those around us. Cristina de Borbón and Iñaki Urdangarin", reads the text of the brief statement in which they formalize their decision.
The former dukes of Palma, who were married on October 4, 1997 in Barcelona, do not give more details about the terms of their separation, prompted by the photographs published last Wednesday in which Urdangarin was seen walking hand in hand with Ainhoa Armentia , co-worker at a law firm in Vitoria. The images were released by the magazine Lecturas after they were taken on January 11 on a beach near Bidart (France), where the Urdangarin family has a summer residence.
The last time he was seen with the infanta Cristina was at the end of the year at the Baqueira ski resort (Lleida), where they spent a few days with their children.
Cristina de Borbón, 56, works for the La Caixa Foundation and continues to reside in Geneva (Switzerland). Urdangarin joined the Imaz & Asociados law firm in Vitoria to work as a consultant on March 4, 2021, three days after his transfer to the Álava provincial prison once he was transferred to the open regime.
The former Duke of Palma was sentenced to 5 years and 10 months for corruption in the Nóos case and entered the women's prison in Brieva (Ávila) in June 2018, with which he became the first member of the king's family, later separated, to be imprisoned. In January 2021 he was transferred to the Social Integration Center (CIS) in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) and a few days later he received the third prison degree.
In April 2013, the judge charged the infanta for the first time in the case. After an appeal from the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, on January 7, 2014, Judge José Castro charged her again and the Palma Court later confirmed the summons as being investigated for allegedly cooperating in two tax crimes committed by her husband. On June 11, 2015, King Felipe VI revoked the title of Duchess of Palma that her father had given her sister just two weeks before the Audiencia de Palma confirmed that she would have to sit on the bench.
At trial, heThe Audiencia de Palma acquitted the infanta Cristina as a necessary cooperator in two tax crimes committed by her husband in 2007 and 2008 but sentenced her to a fine of more than 265,000 euros as responsible for lucrative title for the 'Nóos case'. For his part, Urdangarin was sentenced to six years and 3 months in prison and a fine of 512,553 euros for crimes of prevarication, embezzlement, fraud, influence peddling and two tax crimes related to the activity of the aforementioned non-profit entity.
On June 12, 2017, the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court decided to reduce the sentence against the former duke by five months to 5 years and 10 months, and also decided to halve the fine against the Infanta Cristina from 265,088 to 136,950 euros.
The separation of Cristina de Borbón joins that of her sister, Infanta Elena, who agreed to "the temporary cessation of their marital cohabitation" with Jaime de Marichalar in November 2007.
