Relationships between the members of the Spanish Royal Family

[LadyFinn]

The king and the queen at the reception for the diplomatic corps, sometimes photos tell a story:
http://www.royalportraits.nl/waterma...ORJB022831.jpg
http://www.royalportraits.nl/waterma...ORJB022833.jpg

[Duke of Marmalade]

The dysfunctional Borbon family
Los Borbones, una familia desestructurada

One son in law about to be charged by police for fraud, another one being questioned soon for allowing a minor using firearms. The King himself breaks his hip during hunting holidays with "the other woman". This is the SRF, you couldnt make it up.

Corinna Sayn Wittgenstein has been close to the King for many years, there is a thread about her and her family on TRF
Princely Houses of Sayn-Wittgenstein

[Breffney]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

The dysfunctional Borbon family
Los Borbones, una familia desestructurada

One son in law about to be charged by police for fraud, another one being questioned soon for allowing a minor using firearms. The King himself breaks his hip during hunting holidays with "the other woman". This is the SRF, you couldnt make it up.

Corinna Sayn Wittgenstein has been close to the King for many years, there is a thread about her and her family on TRF
Princely Houses of Sayn-Wittgenstein

I have read that Queen Sofia has remained in Greece despite Juan Carlos' surgery. Good for her. I wasn't aware of this Corinna person until recently.

[Artemisia]

While I admire the Queen immensely, I'm not sure she is setting a good example by "putting up" with the King's action, even if just a tiny part of what we hear is true. And if everything (or nearly everything) is accurate, then it's just wrong; no woman should be subjected to disrespectful and humiliating behaviour like that.

[Breffney]

Originally Posted by Artemisia

While I admire the Queen immensely, I'm not sure she is setting a good example by "putting up" with the King's action, even if just a tiny part of what we hear is true. And if everything (or nearly everything) is accurate, then it's just wrong; no woman should be subjected to disrespectful and humiliating behaviour like that.

I take your point, Artemisia. But I wonder if part of the problem was being caught between the generations who "put up" with such carrying on and the younger generation who don't (regardless of the prize on offer). ?

Religion, of course, is another factor .... not that Catholics don't divorce, of course they do. But I have read that Elena's divorce was frowned upon in this predominately Catholic country. ?

[Duke of Marmalade]

The international press reveals: There are two Queens in Spain, Sofia & Corinna
La prensa internacional vuelve a la carga: En Espaa hay dos reinas, Sofa y Corinna

[Jenafran]

2 Queens? That's insulting. There's 1 Queen and at least 1 concubine.

[Breffney]

This Corinna person has been around for about 5 years and she is being referred to as a Queen. I feel ill.

One wonders, had Juan Carlos been forced to abdicate, just how long she would remain on the scene. ? Hmmm. !!

[Winnie]

Originally Posted by Breffney

One wonders, had Juan Carlos been forced to abdicate, just how long she would remain on the scene. ? Hmmm. !!

Depends how much money the old boy has stashed away. She won't come free.

[Breffney]

Originally Posted by Winnie

Depends how much money the old boy has stashed away. She won't come free.

Ain't that the truth. !!

[An Ard Ri]

My Spanish is quite poor,but and I may have missed something in translation,but does this article state that theirs a cool relationship between the King and his sisters?

«El Rey y yo ni nos vemos ni nos llamamos»

[Artemisia]

Not cool relationship as such - more like lack of it.

Infanta Pilar says that while they used to be quite close with King Juan Carlos, nowadays they don't communicate or meet at all. That is, according to the Infanta, because she is rarely ever in Madrid, and the King is busy as Head of State. Infanta Pilar and the King almost never write or talk to each other.

The Infanta also says she has little time and opportunity to meet her own children and grandchildren, let alone her nieces (Elena and Cristina) and nephew (Felipe), or their families.

The rest of the article focuses on her recent writing experience: the interviewer asks whether she ever thought of penning an autobiography. The Infanta says she has, many times - but nothing came out of it. She states that her collaboration on the book doesn't mean she'll do any further writing: she only agreed to take part because she was asked by her niece, Maria Zurita (who is behind the project) and her children.

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by Artemisia

Not cool relationship as such - more like lack of it.

Infanta Pilar says that while they used to be quite close with King Juan Carlos, nowadays they don't communicate or meet at all. That is, according to the Infanta, because she is rarely ever in Madrid, and the King is busy as Head of State. Infanta Pilar and the King almost never write or talk to each other.

The Infanta also says she has little time and opportunity to meet her own children and grandchildren, let alone her nieces (Elena and Cristina) and nephew (Felipe), or their families.

The rest of the article focuses on her recent writing experience: the interviewer asks whether she ever thought of penning an autobiography. The Infanta says she has, many times - but nothing came out of it. She states that her collaboration on the book doesn't mean she'll do any further writing: she only agreed to take part because she was asked by her niece, Maria Zurita (who is behind the project) and her children.

Isn't that sad

What ever is going on a Zarzuela,there seems to be very few good relationships within the Royal family!

[Duke of Marmalade]

I think its rather normal. I know a lot of people, including me, who would not communicate with some siblings more often than at a handful of times during the year, most times at special occasions like birthdays or family gatherings. Its not because there are problems, the relationship is good, but at a certain age each is busy with their own lifes and families and many family members live far apart.

Well, the SRF is not even "normal", and its even easier to explain why there is only little contact. JC was groomed by his father for the special job at Franco, spent his childhood either at foreign schools or from the age of nine onwards away from his family in Spain. I dont know if additional personal problems are the reason they dont speak, its possible because of the difficult family structure, the death of Alfonso etc, but most likely there was never time to built a close relationship with the sisters. JC has had so much on his mind over the past centuries, difficulties, problems, he is a Men's Man, I dont see why he would have ever turned to his sisters to discuss. Apparently JC doesnt speak to his own wife, his council will be non-family.

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

I think its rather normal. I know a lot of people, including me, who would not communicate with some siblings more often than at a handful of times during the year, most times at special occasions like birthdays or family gatherings. Its not because there are problems, the relationship is good, but at a certain age each is busy with their own lifes and families and many family members live far apart.

Well, the SRF is not even "normal", and its even easier to explain why there is only little contact. JC was groomed by his father for the special job at Franco, spent his childhood either at foreign schools or from the age of nine onwards away from his family in Spain. I dont know if additional personal problems are the reason they dont speak, its possible because of the difficult family structure, the death of Alfonso etc, but most likely there was never time to built a close relationship with the sisters. JC has had so much on his mind over the past centuries, difficulties, problems, he is a Men's Man, I dont see why he would have ever turned to his sisters to discuss. Apparently JC doesnt speak to his own wife, his council will be non-family.

Though I hate speculation I would use the word 'normal' quite loosely around the Borbóns

It seems both of the king's sisters are closer to the queen than their brother.I would be very interested if Infanta Pilar puts pen to paper a writes her autobiography,she's lived through a very interesting period of both Spanish and world history!

[carlfraley]

I've spent two hours reading this thread and I am no where near near the end, but IMO, everyone here is wasting their time speculating on rumors & innuendo. TM The King & Queen are two different people and thus they react differently in public. KJC is a Boubom, born and bred, it took HM Queen Ena well over ten years to even put a dent in the stiff Spanish protocol and she had Major issues with her husbands staff. Not to mention the constant infidelities , queen Maria Cristina once said "if she had to give credence to the supposed number of grandchildren accredited to her son she couldn't keep count" , not to mention Ena and here were as opposed on WW I as two people could be while still residing in the Oriente Palace in Madrid. Yet, differences happen, Ena was misjudged, misquoted, yet she didn't go crying about it in public, she was The Queen of Spain after all. The King has has a lot on his plate in the last few years , and his marriage , IMO is between Their Majesties.
You can't call him totally undemonstrative, their are pictures of him OPENLY crying during his mothers funeral, and HM THE Queen has said publicly that he was very close to, and devastated by the death of his "gangan" HM Queen Victoria Eugenie. Simply put, it's always easier to comment about when you aren't the ones "inside the fishbowl""!!

[casualfan]

Originally Posted by carlfraley

I've spent two hours reading this thread and I am no where near near the end, but IMO, everyone here is wasting their time speculating on rumors & innuendo. TM The King & Queen are two different people and thus they react differently in public. KJC is a Boubom, born and bred, it took HM Queen Ena well over ten years to even put a dent in the stiff Spanish protocol and she had Major issues with her husbands staff. Not to mention the constant infidelities , queen Maria Cristina once said "if she had to give credence to the supposed number of grandchildren accredited to her son she couldn't keep count" , not to mention Ena and here were as opposed on WW I as two people could be while still residing in the Oriente Palace in Madrid. Yet, differences happen, Ena was misjudged, misquoted, yet she didn't go crying about it in public, she was The Queen of Spain after all. The King has has a lot on his plate in the last few years , and his marriage , IMO is between Their Majesties.
You can't call him totally undemonstrative, their are pictures of him OPENLY crying during his mothers funeral, and HM THE Queen has said publicly that he was very close to, and devastated by the death of his "gangan" HM Queen Victoria Eugenie. Simply put, it's always easier to comment about when you aren't the ones "inside the fishbowl""!!

I completely agree with you! If you're frustrated with this type of speculation here, then I wouldn't even step foot in the British threads!