Queen Sofía heard a woman’s voice coming from a room at Zarzuela Palace that was supposed to be empty. Behind the door was Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, the German businesswoman whose secret relationship with Don Juan Carlos I had unsettled the royal household.
From 2004 to 2009, Don Juan Carlos I kept his romance with Corinna out of public view and arranged meetings inside the palace. Corinna later said the king promised Zarzuela would be empty when he invited her and a friend to see the official rooms. But Queen Sofía had canceled her plans and dressed for a quiet evening. She came downstairs and heard voices she did not recognize.
In 2008, $100 million was transferred from Saudi Arabia to the Lucum Foundation, with Don Juan Carlos I listed as beneficiary. Later, about €65 million reportedly went to a company linked to Corinna.
The confrontation was tense. Pilar Eyre, writing for Lecturas, described how Queen Sofía entered and looked straight at Corinna after greeting the guest. She said, “I know who you are.” The king froze as the tension between his wife and his lover played out in front of witnesses. Corinna later called it “quite embarrassing for everyone present.”
They met again in 2006, during a royal trip to Riyadh. Queen Sofía and Corinna crossed paths there. The palace offered little privacy.
Don Juan Carlos’s affairs were never a true secret, but details of his relationship with Corinna have surfaced only in recent years. More have emerged since his abdication in 2014. Corinna’s own stories and the work of journalists like Eyre have fueled the revelations. Corinna has claimed the king even considered divorce and a future with her, reflecting the depth of the rift in the royal marriage.
In 2018, audio recordings surfaced in which Corinna alleged that Don Juan Carlos I received €80 million in commissions related to a high-speed rail contract in Mecca. The revelations triggered anti-corruption investigations in Spain and Switzerland. By December 2021, Swiss prosecutors had closed their case, citing insufficient evidence of criminal links between the Saudi funds and the rail deal. In March 2022, Spanish prosecutors also dropped their related investigations.
Corinna wanted discretion. She told the king she would stay at Zarzuela only if the palace remained quiet. That proved impossible. The palace, meant to symbolize royal calm, became the setting for a private drama that soon became public. Corinna has told the story in her podcast ‘Corinna y el rey’. Pilar Eyre’s upcoming book ‘Sucesión’ is expected to reveal more about these hidden royal chapters.
Don Juan Carlos has appeared in France recently, accepting honors for his memoirs, ‘Reconciliación’. But his past relationships still follow him. The monarchy’s image, battered by years of scrutiny, faces new questions about honesty and personal conduct at the top. As reported earlier, the Spanish public remains fascinated by the private lives of its most famous figures, especially when those lives shape the country’s history.
The showdown at Zarzuela exposed the institution’s weak spots and caused personal embarrassment. It offered a rare look inside an institution built on tradition and secrecy. The encounter took place inside the palace, with witnesses close to the throne, revealing how fragile royal privacy could be. The Spanish monarchy, for all its ceremony, faces the same human dramas as any family. When its secrets emerge, the story reaches far beyond the palace.
