Infanta Cristina and Family, Current Events Part 12: July 2008 - March 2011

[Lindy]

I certainly hope the rumors are not true, but I agree with the poster who said where there is smoke there is fire.

It seemed strange to me that they moved to Washington, D.C. (I believe that Inaki's job had nothing to do with it.)
I assumed it was because Cristina and Letizia had their differences. However, perhaps it was to defuse some problem in Barcelona
or to give Cristina and Inaki some privacy to strengthen their marriage. (I believe that is why Elena and Jaimie moved to NY... not for physical therapy.)
I thought it was odd that Cristina went to the Belgian royal birthday party without Inaki... perhaps this is why there were no photos?

I remember that Inaki had a girlfriend when he met Cristina and she was gone soon after... a red flag, perhaps.

 

[Melibea]

^^
They said that it was because of Iñaki's business as he got a better position in Telefonica. But I always thought that they moved because in Barcelona the republican movement started to be very important. And we can't forget the corruption case which Iñaki is linked to. So if we add that they are not suppose to have a good relationship with the Asturias it was logical that they moved to another country.

 

[lula]

Let's be logical, to have good or bad relation with your sister-in-law it does not do that you change of country, less when you live in a different city, it is totally ridiculous . It is an absurd invention of the press, because is to speak about the Princess what gives money. Many people forget that for many years both Infantas did separated lives and was very difficult to see them together.

Another question is the problem of Iñaki's business, which could have had bad consequences for him and for the Royal House. This is an important question.

 

[donnaK]

The ring doesn't mean anything, we have seen Letizia and Felipe without a ring too.
Even my parents don't wear rings.
The rumours didn't start because of that.

Felipe and Letizia only didn't wear rings at the casual sports events, ex. regatas, skiing, they might be afraid to lose the ring since Fred of Denmark did lose his ring while diving . But all the young royals wore their rings at formal events. Inaki was in Las Vagas to announce a big service plan for Telefonica, a very formal event, a big accomplishment for Telefonica. It seems he purposedly 'invited' the gossips, totally unnecessary, no matter what has happened, he and Cristina are still married. If Felipe or Letizia didn't wear their ring at the PoA awards, you don't think people would start gossip ?
I certainly hope the rumors were not true. I think Cristina has always loved Inaki, they have 4 beautiful children, even they might have arguments, crisis, hopefully they work things out. There are certainly many bright things for the family to look forward to.

 

[magnik]

Felipe and Letizia only didn't wear rings at the casual sports events, ex. regatas, skiing, they might be afraid to lose the ring since Fred of Denmark did lose his ring while diving . But all the young royals wore their rings at formal events. Inaki was in Las Vagas to announce a big service plan for Telefonica, a very formal event, a big accomplishment for Telefonica. It seems he purposedly 'invited' the gossips, totally unnecessary, no matter what has happened, he and Cristina are still married. If Felipe or Letizia didn't wear their ring at the PoA awards, you don't think people would start gossip ?

Of course that they'll start!
I know few men who sometimes simply forget to wear their wedding bands. And they are still married.

I hope that these are only rumours.
Besided C&I aren't the royal/princely only couple who moved to the other country for business matters.

 

[Stefanie]

Do we know for sure that she attended the Belgian birthday-party without Inaki? Or are there only no photos of them together?

 

[Sonjapearl]

According to Jaime Penafiel on TeleCinco, the problem is Inaki's business.

Here's a translation:

The reasons are, according to Dr. Royal House, "business" of the Duke of Palma. Peñafiel said that Royal "does not like anyone to get into businesses, jobs, yes, but businesses do not, especially when it oversteps the bounds of discretion."

 

[Stefanie]

According to the Belgian Board Inaki was seen together with Cristina at Phillippes birthday party. So I think this is the proof that the crisis rumours are false.

 

[Melibea]

Lula I didn't say that, I tried to answer the other post that mentioned that. I think it was an amount of factors but imo it was the corruption case the most important factors, and that Barcelona was not as friendly as before.

About the relationship between the princess and the infanta, Pilar Eyre said today that in Iñaki's 40 birthday Letizia only talked to his husband and she didn't speak one to the rest of the family. IMO if all the press say that they don't have a good relationship even Lecturas that always says the nice things of SRF, it's not all inventions of the press.

Stefanie I didn't see a photo of them together, everyone is saying that after she went to Washington, he came to Spain so it could be impossible that he was at his birthday, any photo?

 

[donnaK]

Let's be logical, to have good or bad relation with your sister-in-law it does not do that you change of country, less when you live in a different city, it is totally ridiculous . It is an absurd invention of the press, because is to speak about the Princess what gives money. Many people forget that for many years both Infantas did separated lives and was very difficult to see them together.

Another question is the problem of Iñaki's business, which could have had bad consequences for him and for the Royal House. This is an important question.

Completely agree. Some people tend to forget Inaki had already been working for Telefonica for a couple of years as the Latin American Counselor before the family moved to DC. He had to travel a lot to North/South America, the family could spend more time together after moving to Washington DC, also more convenient for his work.

 

[lula]

Melibea, I only have said that it is totally absurd to blame the Princess for everything what happens in the Royal Family.

If you have read the article of the magazine Lecturas, it gives the idea that is the infanta Cristina the one that does not accept a decision of the Princess and the one that gets angry ... and in the same news they remember as the Infanta Cristina already has had moments in which she has been distanced from her mother or her sister. The Infanta always has been a woman with character and independently enough, that chose the freedom of Barcelona to the pressure of Madrid.

 

[Melibea]

^^

I was explaining to different things, first why I think they went to USA (if you read me you can see that the princess has a marginal if at all effect in that decision, for me at least). And why I think that in the SRF is not all as happy as they try to make us think.

 

[donnaK]

I think the so called 'frictions' had a lot to do with 'big family syndrome'. Letizia is the crown princess, it's reasonable that she wants to gradually expands her role, Sofia is in her 70s, many might expect her to gradually reduce her role, however she still enjoys her good health, works at her full speed (she had the most acts in the family last year), so the infantas were the ones who had to reduce her workload to make room for Letizia. I don't think Elena cares, but Cristina is the one who seems to enjoy the royal work, she probably has a hard time to see her work reduced (that was even before she moved to DC) IMO.

If the SRF were like the other royal houses, each receives money from the state directly, manages their own life and work independently, it wouldn't have this type of 'big family syndrome' (at least less) IMO.

 

[lula]

Donna, the Infantas have been educated for it from girls, they know that in the future their rol will be the one that now their aunts the Infantas Pilar and Margarita have. This is the Monarchy. At this moment the position of the Infantas is comfortable, they support their privileges as members of the Royal Family, but their responsibilities every time are less.

 

[Melibea]

^^
In that I agree with you, they knew their own role since girls so for me the jealous issue is a press invention. But imo they don't have a good relationship with the princess for another reason.

 

[donnaK]

They are not at the situation of Infanta Pilar and Margarita yet since their father is still the King. It's easy to say that they know one day they would be at the situation of their aunts, but it's not so easy to see their roles being reduced so quickly when their father is still the King IMO, they are only humans. Plus Infanta Pilar was not happy about her role either, there were many gossips about her strained relationship with Sofia.
It's always easy to point fingers at women, but it's very obvious that the relationship between Cristina and Felipe had turned completely cold, something substantial must have happened, for example, different opinions on Inaki's business, roles inside the family and etc. I don't see Elena had much issue with Letizia/Felipe, probably Cristina dragged her to be her 'ally' in the family IMO.

 

[Katrianna]

If info was stated by Jaime Penafiel, I don't believe it. He has had a vendetta against the Royal Family for a long time and I'm not sure what happened as he used to be a big supporter I believe.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

oh oh
More marriage trouble in the Spanish royal family?

 

[Bine221]

Donna, the Infantas have been educated for it from girls, they know that in the future their rol will be the one that now their aunts the Infantas Pilar and Margarita have. This is the Monarchy. At this moment the position of the Infantas is comfortable, they support their privileges as members of the Royal Family, but their responsibilities every time are less.

I agree here, too. The infantas did have a very "important supporting" role during the time, when Felipe was single. Then a new Princess of Asturias came and this did automatically mean, that the infantas were sent into the "second row". They knew it before -- but maybe "theoretically knowing it" does not equals to "really experiencing it".... and for some characters this may have been easier, for some harder. And this step back may be even harder, if you do not like your sister in law. Or maybe that stepping back was the reason, why she did not like her????
Hmmmmm
Bye Bine

 

[lula]

I believe that the Infantas have had time enough to get used. The Princess has late several years in having acts alone, and until this year she has not travelled alone out of Spain ... the process has lasted 6 years not one month. In addition, when the Princess arrived the activity of the Infantas was already enough limited.

Certainly, that the reduction of the official activity has not supposed a reduction of privileges. They receive money of the budget of the Royal House, have secretary, bodyguards, the Infanta Elena persons who take care of the horses, a house in Mallorca each one and they use the royal yacht more than the own King ... and free all that. While the Princess agrees to dress Spanish design, the Infantas fill their cupboards with designs of Lacroix, Chanel or Armani without nobody criticizes them for it.

The Infanta Elena has passed for a process of divorce and the problems with Iñaki's business are not new. Situations that have forced to limit their exhibition in public acts.

The problems of Iñaki's business are not new, it nor is Peñafiel's news. It is a topic that the press takes commenting years, and that it had repercussion great when it was known that a public institution had paid 1 million Euros to his company to organize a few acts. For this reason Iñaki had to leave the company. Now some politicians who contracted his company are being judged for cases of corruption, and the information about the contracts and the money that received his company is in the courts.

 

[Carminha Stalker]

I think this story has lots of ramifications,i.e: Iñaki´s business and this scandal which I didn´t know existed, is one of them. Their going to the US I think had to do with a betterment of his financial situation and I don´t believe it was a decision of the Infanta by herself or for her own reasons.
Elena and Cristina, who were very close to their brother, distanced themselves, and I think it has to do, with the way Letizia brings up her daughters apart from the other cousins. It´s strange that in a family where cousins like the Marichalars and the Urdangarins play and see each other as much as possible, they have hardly any contact with the two Infantitas.

 

[An Ard Ri]

In the interests of the Monarchy the King should allow the Infanta's a little more of a supporting role within the Royal Family .It would get quite boring if all we saw was the King,Queen & Prince/Princess,plus such whispers of a strained Royal Family can't be doing them any favours & the media have picked up this .

Personally I'd like to see more of the Infanta's at Royal Events .

 

[Melibea]

^^
The problem is that P. Felipe is not accepted as they want him to be and the infantas are very popular so imo they try to show us more the Asturias and less the infantas. But of course this is my opinion.

About the jealousy issue imo the infantas prefer to live their own lives without the royal duties so they are not jealous; in my opinion the problem is other things not that.

 

[Monna]

^^
The problem is that P. Felipe is not accepted as they want him to be and the infantas are very popular so imo they try to show us more the Asturias and less the infantas. But of course this is my opinion.

So the Infantas are more popular than Felipe and Letizia? Hard to believe.

 

[An Ard Ri]

According to the Belgian Board Inaki was seen together with Cristina at Phillippes birthday party. So I think this is the proof that the crisis rumours are false.

I recall reading that over on the Belgian Board or else I saw a small photo of them together .

 

[lula]

Carminha, it is necessary to have good memory, and know the past. For several years the relation between the Infantas was distant enough, only one saw them united in official activities, they had totally separated lives. Only when Elena's matrimonial crisis was started aggravating, and the children had already an age in which they wanted to be united, the Infantas recovered this sisters' relation.

The Prince and his family do not have the freedom of movements that the Infantas have, their obligations and their living conditions are totally different, and it is not fault of the Princess. It is much easier than the Infantas and their families visit Zarzuela, that the Prince and his family travels, and what happens inside the doors nobody knows. The certain thing is that when one sees them united, the children seem to have a very normal relation.

The Infantas must go on to a background because Spain cannot have the image of which it supports a Royal Family of 15 members, it is harmful to the Monarchy. It is the natural evolution of any Monarchy, and the changes are progressive. It isn´t the same to be the second and third in the succession that to be the fourth and the seventh, now the Infantas Leonor and Sofia are over their aunts.

We see the Queen Beatrix to share more acts with Willem and Maxima that with her other children, the King Harald and the Queen Sonja are more with Haakon and Mette Marit that with Martha Louise. With the weddings of the Crown Princes and the birth of their children all the Monarchies have change.

 

[Melibea]

And Ard Ri
Can you post it?

About the popularity, at least where I live infanta Cristina is much popular than him. He is not as popular as his father that cannot be argued, so imo they are trying to sell him to us, and the infantas can overshadow him.

 

[lula]

So the Infantas are more popular than Felipe and Letizia? Hard to believe.

I do not believe it either. The Prince and the Princess have a major pressure, are more observed, there is more interest in them and by it they are more criticized also. But it is because what is expected from them is great for the place they are going to occupy. The Prince is the future King and of him all is analyzed, it is a political figure.

The Infantas does not have this responsibility, the press is happy if it has photos of some social acts and a few photos of the children. The Infantas are less transcendent and matter less. The magazines are happy doing business showing to Cristina's perfect and nice family ... but this it is an image of magazine. When there is necessary to explain the chalet of millions, or Iñaki's business the things are not so nice.

 

[Melibea]

That's just only my opinion and what I hear from other people. The people are mostly indifferent to the monarchy but I'm not so sure that they are going to accept him as a king.

 

[Monna]

Thank you for explaining, lula. What you say (not only in this post, but in general) is exactly how I perceive the situation in the Royal Family.