Queen Letizia of Spain had an affair while she was married to King Felipe

Jaime del Burgo (right) claims he had an affair with Queen Letizia (center) during her marriage to King Felipe ( left)

It is alleged that Queen Letizia of Spain had an affair during the early years of her marriage to King Felipe.

Jaime del Burgo, a longtime friend of the queen who later married her sister, claims that He was romantically involved with Letizia before she got married in 2004, and at another point after her wedding.

Mr Del Burgo shared a photo of Letizia on social media in which she was clearly pregnant. King Felipe and Queen Letizia's daughters were born in 2005 and 2007.

He claimed that Letizia sent him a photo while they were having an affair, along with the message: “Love. I wear your pashmina. It's like feeling you next to me. It takes care of me. Protects me. I'm counting the hours until we see each other again, love you, get out of here. Yours.»

Image of Queen Letizia Mr Del Burgo claims she sent him

Rumors about the Spanish Queen's relationship Mr Del Burgo emerged after the 53-year-old businessman was interviewed by the author of a new book about his relationship with the royal family.

In the book «Letizia and Yo» (Letizia and Me) by royal reporter Jaime Peñafiel, Mr. Del Burgo claims that Queen Letizia told him she loved him as they lay in hammocks by the pool at her and Felipe's royal residence, La Zarzuela. This prompted him to write an unpublished play in English called «The Hammock».

He also stated that the Spanish CNI secret service had him under surveillance for five years and even broke into his home in Switzerland. Mr Del Burgo said the alleged operation did not achieve its intended objectives because he placed everything related to his relationship with Letizia — «photos, videos, cell phones, text messages» — in a bank vault.

Spain's royal family declined to comment on Mr Del Burgo's claims.

Book 'doesn't tell the whole truth'

Mr Del Burgo claims in the book that he was prepared to propose to Letizia, who was a Spanish presenter at the time states. television news shows — and the night she first told him about her relationship with Felipe, he had a ring in his pocket.

The book does not claim that there was any activity during Letizia and Felipe's marriage. connection. However, he now claims that this is so.

Mr Del Burgo, who was a witness at Felipe and Letizia's wedding, claimed the future queen had begged him to «never leave her» the night before. was married. He married the Queen's sister Thelma Ortiz in 2012, but the couple divorced two years later.

On his X account, formerly known as Twitter, which was deleted on Monday, Mr Del Burgo said that the book did not tell the whole truth, and stated that he and Letizia were lovers during her marriage to King Felipe.< /p> Queen Letizia has been married to King Felipe since 2004. Photo: Shutterstock

Some social media users posted messages of support for Queen Letizia. Carolina Alonso, spokeswoman for the leftist and anti-monarchy group Unidas Podemos in the Madrid regional parliament, said Mr Del Burgo's posts were a «sexist attack on her privacy».

Mr Del Burgo, the son of a prominent politician who was president of the Navarre region, lives outside Spain, dividing his time between Switzerland and London.

He has attracted widespread publicity in the past for his complaints about press intrusion when he was married to Queen Letizia's sister. . He also made headlines by saying the public should rise up and ignore lockdown rules during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The scandals cast doubt on the future of the Spanish monarchy

The claims come as King Felipe and Queen Letizia appeared to be consolidating their rule after a series of scandals involving former King Juan Carlos that cast doubt on the future of the Spanish monarchy.

Letizia has become more outspoken in her speeches since turning 50 last year, recently quoting lyrics from a popular rap artist at an event aimed at raising awareness of mental health issues.

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In October, Princess Leonor, the eldest daughter of the royal couple, swore allegiance to the Spanish Constitution before large, enthusiastic crowds gathered in the streets of Madrid to cheer the 18-year-old heir to the throne.

Juan Carlos, who abdicated the throne in favor of Felipe in 2014, was excluded from the proclamation ceremony of Princess Leonor in the Spanish Parliament.

Juan Carlos moved to Abu Dhabi in 2020 after his financial affairs were the subject of an investigation by Spanish prosecutors. In the end, no charges were brought because some offenses, including money laundering, were covered by the immunity he enjoyed while on the throne, and later tax offenses were corrected by payment of back taxes.

Recent a poll published by digital newspaper El Diario showed that 45 percent of Spaniards would support a republic in the event of a referendum on the monarchy, while 43.5 percent support the current system. Most polls in recent years show that such a referendum would be unlikely.