"Letizia Ortiz: A republican in the Court of Juan Carlos I" by Isidre Cunill, 2010

[lula]

Several things...

In Spain the religious ideas are personal, there is no official religion ... if the members of the Royal Family want to be of other religion or not to be of any it is a personal decision and a private topic.

Second, the author does not contribute any proof, simply he spreads a rumor without verifiable proofs. In addition, before writing certain things it is necessary to read. The author does not write that she was aborting voluntarily, writes that she had complications and had an abortion ... that are two different things.

 

[jjkg]

I think Zarzuelas no comment strategy has made them very vulnerable, especially when it comes down to Letizia. They should have drawn a line a long time ago when to react and be more in control of information, eg by selecting a biographer, instead of giving people the chance to use the topic for their own purposes or bad intentions. It wasnt difficult to see this coming, if people not only get the chance of making a lot of money but also can combine a political agenda of course they will go for it.

I am not surprised that the publishing house is small and unimportant, none of the big ones would take on the topic. The SRF have been courting the media for years, they either give a prize or visit a journalist, radio or TV station every other week, in order to have the media on their side when it comes down to succession. No serious Spanish media would risk a feud with the future King and Queen.

Rumours about Letizia have been circling for years, especially about the Mexico time, Letizia said in an interview before she went she wanted "a free life", the nude painting, the PhD that she started and never finished (very unlike her). Same goes for the abortion, there have been speculations for years and its highly controversial since Queen Sofia condemned the practice in her own biography.

I think the damage has been done, true or not, and unfortunately its not about the usual gossip, like plastic surgery or a new purse, but nasty alligations that undermine the reputation of a future Queen, because, if true, in hindsight a lot of actions or image presentation would appear very fake / putting on a big show.

It is very easy to create a rumor, flog it on that atrocious vile forum, repeat it day in and day out. Once it is on that forum, it will start circulating and become part of the dark underbelly of conversations of people who want to grind and axe. "x" amount of time later someone will come up with an article or a book stating that rumor. Now the rumor becomes an "almost fact".

There is nothing that can be done except for honest, fair people to fight back against them as the rumor starts to spread initially. Many times we have seen the same trend happening on this forum itself where soon rumors become facts

 

[jjkg]

(Nothing much, the book doesn't deserve it) and there is no journalist that "believes" anything. For example, an extract from a blog on the most read newspaper website(It's all they say about this book, imagine how much they care)
" Ya les he hablado en varias ocasiones del periodismo basura, de la insidia y de los subterfugios que puede utilizar esta prensa irresponsable y amarilla. No dejamos La Gaceta, que publicaba ayer una página entera para denunciar un libro de próxima aparición que, dice este diario, “ataca a doña Letizia [pero] no aporta pruebas ni novedades”. Con la repugnante fórmula de negar la veracidad de las acusaciones -“Las insidias de Cunill (el autor del libro) sobre doña Letizia"- La Gaceta las va enumerando una a una. Ejemplos falsos: Asesinó a un niño con sus propias manos cuando estuvo en México; trata a la Familia Real a gritos y pega con un cinturón (de Carlota Herrera, eso sí) al Príncipe Felipe y a sus hijas; participó con Pío Moa en varios atentados de los GRAPO; fue portada en varias ocasiones de Interviú; vendía heroína en las Barranquillas. El periódico dice otras cosas, claro, pero no vamos a reproducir lo que dice para no incurrir en las triquiñuelas que denunciamos. Con esta trampa-bazofia, La Gaceta ya les ha dicho que el libro cuenta que doña Letizia era una asesina, que maltrata a su familia, que era una roja extremista, una descocada y una violenta narcotraficante. Basura periodística... basura política."
ETA y el destripador masón >> El ojo izquierdo >> Blogs ELPAÍS.com
They write that the book says Letizia had an abortion, was a republican extremist, member of a terrotist group, she yells at every member of the RF, hits Felipe and her daughters with a belt, was caught selling heroin....And call this journalism rubbish and also political rubbish(about the book and the newspaper that published all the accusations agaisnt Letizia saying they were false first)
It's the only mention this newspaper(the most read in Spain) has made of the book, part of a blog post about other newspapers printing all the accusations about Letizia.
I'm sure the only people who care are here in this board, not the average spaniard who can't read anything like that without laughing at it.

Thank you for the link and translation. It is eye-opening. Everything bad that could be thrown at her - she is a member of a terrorists org, is a heroin pusher, physically abuses her husband and kids with a belt (WOW, I mean WOW), prostitute etc has been thrown at her.

My one question that I posted on the royal family sub-board is this:
Why are all the heinous things she did only confined to the brief period she was in Mexico?
How can someone be so normal before she left for Mexico and after she came back from MExico. If she had demons inside her that made her a prostitute, heroin dealer etc during her time in Mexico, she must have had those tendencies before she left and after she came back. These tendencies must have been very hard to hide considering she had a high profile career where she was open to the public day in, day out.

 

[olebabs]

When will this poor woman get a break???? The way some people are judging her, suggests that they, themselves, lead perfect, pure (IMHO boring!!!) little lives. If one claims to be a God fearing catholic, the commandment: "Love thy neighbor as thy self" should be studied a little harder!!!!!

If the King of Spain has accepted her as his daughter-in-law, that should be enough proof of her ability/suitability

 

[donnaK]

jjkg, and all these happened within one school year (9 month) in Mexico. Well, as the article in El Pais said 'Basura periodística... basura política'.
Zarzuela has absolutely no need to make any comment, no need to bring themselves down to the level of these people (author and publisher).

 

[Zonk]

jjkg, and all these happened within one school year (9 month) in Mexico. Well, as the article in El Pais said 'Basura periodística... basura política'.
Zarzuela has absolutely no need to make any comment, no need to bring themselves down to the level of these people (author and publisher).

I agree DonnaK. It looks like the author has overplayed his hands.

Its one thing to accuse Letizia of some things but all of these things seem like overkill.

Do we really think that the SRF is that silly and naive to bring that type of person into the family? After Juan Carlos, his parents, Queen Ena and Queen Sofia worked so hard to restore the monarchy? That they didnt' do a background check on Letizia? I am sure Letitiza is not perfect and she will be the first to admit it but really.

 

[julia garcia roch]

As per the Italian news channels which today revealed some shocking news and truth about Princess Letizia I am amazed as to how it was not reported here, but any way, to every one who wishe to know the real truth behind the future Queen of Spain should know the following:

She was previously married and divorced.
She fathered a child but killed the child in New York as she could not obtain an abortion in 1990 in Mexico.
She is not of the Catholic faith but agnostic (an Agnostic will one day be seating on one of the most Catholic of all thrones!)
She was involved in several sexual and immoral photographs

there is more but I will stop there, I am not making this stuff up I am simply revealing the truth. I am as much a Royalist and monarchist as the holy saints were and I am ashamed that this women will ever reign such a once Catholic country. disgusting!

I am shocked that you wrote "she killed her child in New York". What proof is there? What is wrong with a woman marrying and divorcing? what is wrong with a woman having pictures taken? where are the pictures? are there in the book?
PLEASE, THIS IS SLANDER.
WE ALL KNOW LETIZIA WAS MARRIED AND DIVORCED! ANY DECENT WOMAN CAN MARRY AND DIVORCE. YOU DO NOT HURT ANYONE!

 

[jjkg]

The problem is that Letizia was being presented as fiancee already "cleaned up" by Zarzuela, some rumours about the time in Mexico or her divorce were brushed aside because the King had approved of the engagement and nobody would have dared to stand against the King at that time, the media is supposed to be free but only supposed to. In the meantime people have understood that anything about Letizia will sell and make them money.

I am not saying that she should have done a walk to Canossa (in case there are indeed some black episodes in her past a la Mette Marit) but I believe that at some point there will be the need for some clarifications because since her engagement Letizia's past has more or less been erased. She wasnt sent from heaven to become the future Queen of Spain after all.

Unless there will be a book that is kind of authorized (like Pilar Urbano for Queen Sofia) and will reflect a balanced truth, there will always be rumours about the Mexico time or divorce that will not go away and will finally harm the Royal House. Some people will now say that past is private, but how can the future Queen be private? Its only natural that people are interested and they do deserve some kind of information, but it should come from Zarzuela and not leave it to the gossip to start digging and bring up unfounded dirt.

Duke - But where does disclosure stop? Dark rumors that circulate about Letizia are not just confined to her divorce. New, dark rumors that have become almost fact have been circulated on her marriage, her relationships with her kids, her in-laws, he sister's death, her other sister's life etc. I mean even this book seems to be peddling the gossip that she is physically abusive with her husband and kids. How can you stop this? Do we want to have a webcam inside their house to show she is not physically abusive?

Also about what we don't know about her pre-Felipe days. What is it that we want to know? Do we really want to go deep inside her first marriage to know what she stuck with the guy for 10 years, did he cheat?, how did she feel...etc..etc? How would that help us? Already there was an article on the net where a fellow journalist who met her when they were about to interview Israeli PM talk about how Letizia was trying to juggle her marriage and her career...and...how he was glad that she did not let her experience with her first husband turn her off men.

Finally, do you not think this whole resentment against not haviong a public-courtship is not about what is it that Letizia is hiding, it is more about being denied the opportunity to prevent the marriage from happening the first place?

 

[MAfan]

As per the Italian news channels which today revealed some shocking news and truth about Princess Letizia I am amazed as to how it was not reported here, but any way, to every one who wishe to know the real truth behind the future Queen of Spain should know the following:

She was previously married and divorced.
She fathered a child but killed the child in New York as she could not obtain an abortion in 1990 in Mexico.
She is not of the Catholic faith but agnostic (an Agnostic will one day be seating on one of the most Catholic of all thrones!)
She was involved in several sexual and immoral photographs

there is more but I will stop there, I am not making this stuff up I am simply revealing the truth. I am as much a Royalist and monarchist as the holy saints were and I am ashamed that this women will ever reign such a once Catholic country. disgusting!

May I ask which Italian news channel?

 

[donnaK]

I agree DonnaK. It looks like the author has overplayed his hands.

Its one thing to accuse Letizia of some things but all of these things seem like overkill.

Do we really think that the SRF is that silly and naive to bring that type of person into the family? After Juan Carlos, his parents, Queen Ena and Queen Sofia worked so hard to restore the monarchy? That they didnt' do a background check on Letizia? I am sure Letitiza is not perfect and she will be the first to admit it but really.

They surely did the background check on Letizia before the engagement. The so called CNI report the author refering to in his book was done in 2003 (I think it was before the engagement), the source of the rumors in his book. The El Mundo article called it a fake one (the real one is probably still in Zarzuela) since there were many spelling/grammar mistakes in the part showed by the author in his book.

 

[AnaC]

Actually the author says he got his information from a CNI report(The CNI is the Centre of National Intelligence). The CNI denies they ever made a report on her but I(and everybody else) think it's imposible Zarzuela does a background check for every employee and not one for the future queen.
This CNI report is another thing that makes his book so ridiculous. He prints part of it on his book, and it's filled with spelling mistakes. Not even the author believes it's a real CNI report because he notes the spelling mistakes and especulates on his origin.

 

[sproketti]

Felipe didn't marry a 17 year old virgin. She was an adult woman with her own history. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that her husband accept her for anything she may have done in the past and that she act NOW in a way that represents the people of Spain.

I'm sure that when she was 20 she wasn't thinking that some day she might be married to the crown prince so she'd better not do anything that might embarrass her or the royal family later on.

If she was partying until dawn now and then being photographed staggering drunkenly out of nightclubs at 3 am and getting into her car without her panties on and then taking her little girls to church later in the morning, I'd say people had good reason to complain.

 

[donnaK]

Actually the author says he got his information from a CNI report(The CNI is the Centre of National Intelligence). The CNI denies they ever made a report on her but I(and everybody else) think it's imposible Zarzuela does a background check for every employee and not one for the future queen.
This CNI report is another thing that makes his book so ridiculous. He prints part of it on his book, and it's filled with spelling mistakes. Not even the author believes it's a real CNI report because he notes the spelling mistakes and especulates on his origin.

Very unethical of the author to use a so called CNI report as the main selling point of the book to attack a woman when himself even questioned the report's origin.

 

[AnaC]

I don't think he was very concerned about ethics!
If the fact that he uses a false report is bad, how about his publisher saying they are publishing rumours circulating on the internet!

 

[nascarlucy]

Because I myself have been a victim of vicious mean gossip and lies told about me as an adult and as a child, I try not to be so quick when I hear bad things about another person unless they are proven or the source is reliable. When you are the victim of something like this, you generally don't take it at face value.

I would like to know where is the proof of immoral photos or pictures. The would have surfaced years ago if they did. To my knowedge, no such pictures of Letizia exist.

If someone has an abortion, there is some type of medical documentation of this. This would have surfaced long ago, if it was proven. What proof is there?

Being married and divorced does not make you a bad or immoral person. Anyone who thinks so probably hasn't had a family member go through it or they haven't gone through it themselves. The marriage didn't work out, plain and simple.

 

[Emmily]

As per the Italian news channels which today revealed some shocking news and truth about Princess Letizia I am amazed as to how it was not reported here, but any way, to every one who wishe to know the real truth behind the future Queen of Spain should know the following:

She was previously married and divorced.
She fathered a child but killed the child in New York as she could not obtain an abortion in 1990 in Mexico.
She is not of the Catholic faith but agnostic (an Agnostic will one day be seating on one of the most Catholic of all thrones!)
She was involved in several sexual and immoral photographs

there is more but I will stop there, I am not making this stuff up I am simply revealing the truth. I am as much a Royalist and monarchist as the holy saints were and I am ashamed that this women will ever reign such a once Catholic country. disgusting!

She is female, so she can't father a child Your words are extremely harsh saying she killed a child in New York. Abortions are legal in this country. If this happened, and there isn't any proof that it did, that would have been 20 years ago making her 17. I certainly hope that anything she did at 17 wouldn't be held against her now. None of us are perfect.

 

[Blackadder]

As per the Italian news channels which today revealed some shocking news and truth about Princess Letizia I am amazed as to how it was not reported here, but any way, to every one who wishe to know the real truth behind the future Queen of Spain should know the following:

She was previously married and divorced.
She fathered a child but killed the child in New York as she could not obtain an abortion in 1990 in Mexico.
She is not of the Catholic faith but agnostic (an Agnostic will one day be seating on one of the most Catholic of all thrones!)
She was involved in several sexual and immoral photographs

there is more but I will stop there, I am not making this stuff up I am simply revealing the truth. I am as much a Royalist and monarchist as the holy saints were and I am ashamed that this women will ever reign such a once Catholic country. disgusting!

Oh come on, leave that poor woman alone. I have no problem with her being an Agnostic, maybe because I am Agnostic myself. As to the other points, she is just a modern woman. Times have changed.

 

[nascarlucy]

She's not a royal from birth. When you are royal from birth, you are protected to a certain degree from the public finding out about private things in your life. A commoner who marries into royalty doesn't have that type of protection. Their previous life is fair game. Do you think that such a book would be published if the woman in question was a female royal by birth? Even if it was proven that any female royal by birth had a drug problem, slept around or had an abortion, do you really think that any journalist in that country would write a book detailing this or talking about this openly.? I seriously doubt it.

 

[Mari_*]

KILLED A CHILD! OH MY GOD! are you even aware of what you are saying??

 

[Chimene]

She was previously married and divorced.

So what?

She fathered a child but killed the child in New York as she could not obtain an abortion in 1990 in Mexico.

If, and I say if, then that's between her and GOD. Stay out of her womb, please.

She is not of the Catholic faith but agnostic (an Agnostic will one day be seating on one of the most Catholic of all thrones!)

What does that really mean?

She was involved in several sexual and immoral photographs

Oh dear...

I am ashamed that this women will ever reign such a once Catholic country. disgusting!

What's disgusting is your willingness to stone a woman just because you saw some tv show. Go read a history book and there are plenty to make you ashamed and Letizia has nothing to do with it.

We are living in the 21st century, get over it.

 

[nascarlucy]

An Agnostic is someone who questions the existance of God (not the same as an atheist who doesn't believe in God or a Supreme Being). An ex-boyfriend of mine was agnostic. Since we live in an area of the country that is in the Bible Belt, this is not something you would proclaim and not be challenged on it.

I have a different belief system that my ex-boyfriend does.(I believe in God, in a Supreme Being). To each his own.

Did Letizia ever say that she was agnostic? I'm sure if she said this, it would be all over the newspapers and everywhere else. Could it be that she may have questioned something in regard to religion or religious beliefs and someone took this to mean that she was agnostic? This would not make you agnostic but some people might think so.

 

[jonc93]

I cant wait until she sues that Italian tv show for Slander! Then people wonder why she says she doesn't miss her job in journalism.

 

[greenways]

If this author has cobbled together, a book based on internet gossip, then HE should be ashamed. I hope Leti does sue his butt off!! It's just wrong.

 

[Roxsteve]

Letizia's past is hers and no one else's. I'm not fond of her, but I think it is unfair to say things that are pertinent to her only. Whether she had a child, it's no one's business but hers. She took some immoral pictures? Says who? So what? Please let's be more mature and stop saying things that are not really important today. Is she a good mother to those two little girls? Is she a good wife today? Is she taking improper picture today?

 

[Katrianna]

As stated before there's already a thread about this book and it's nothing, but trash. None of the claims have been proven nor has there been an attempt to prove the statements. If Priest008 puts out this thread without checking the other thread, then it's just to stir up controversy and if he believes all this, then he's naive and gullible.

 

[Katrianna]

Royal's private lives aren't necessarily protected from the media anymore. In today's world anyone can be bribed for juicy gossip/info. Anyone who works for a Royal can take the money and blab secrets.
In the case of this piece of trash book about Letizia, obviously the author didn't bother to do any serious research, but just made up outlandish lies and had it published. He gives the excuse that his info came from such sources as the Central Intelligence. That's laughable. Does he really want us to think that he walked into the Intelligence Agency and requested private info about Letizia and they handed it over? Please, this isn't my first day at the rodeo.

 

[4Pam]

I don't believe any of it. It's ALL rubbish.

 

[MARG]

I think you are actually 100% correct! I hope Letitzia and her husband and family sue them into extinction!

Please do not think I am one of the "Letitzia walks on water" brigade, I am not. What I am is an ordinary decent human being who believes that slander and libel need to be crushed under the heel of the law.

I am guessing that killing a child means abortion and I understand that it is a highly contentious and emotive issue, particularly within the Church, and also that Spain is still a very devout nation. All the more reason to sue the creature that created these factoids.

No-one should have to take this sort of dirt lying down. Fight back!

 

[Duncan]

Thank you for the link and translation. It is eye-opening. Everything bad that could be thrown at her - she is a member of a terrorists org, is a heroin pusher, physically abuses her husband and kids with a belt (WOW, I mean WOW), prostitute etc has been thrown at her.

There has been some confusion here.

The author of the article about the book quoted by AnaC says that he doesn't want to report exactly what events the book mentions not to disclose them again, so he makes up his own exaggerated allegations (like heroin pusher, family abuser) just to critizice the way this book has been treated by some of the media. He is saying that those media are eager to mention all the allegations in the book and then saying that they are well-known, not proven or totally acceptable. The author or the article is treating the matter with irony.

About the "abortion" thing, I guess in English the proper word would be "miscarriage", the confusion arises because in Spanish there is only one word for both. The author of the book says she went to the Mexican hospital because of pregnancy complications, and there the miscarriage ("aborto") happened.

 

[Lakshmi]

As per the Italian news channels which today revealed some shocking news and truth about Princess Letizia I am amazed as to how it was not reported here, but any way, to every one who wishe to know the real truth behind the future Queen of Spain should know the following:

She was previously married and divorced.
She fathered a child but killed the child in New York as she could not obtain an abortion in 1990 in Mexico.
She is not of the Catholic faith but agnostic (an Agnostic will one day be seating on one of the most Catholic of all thrones!)
She was involved in several sexual and immoral photographs

there is more but I will stop there, I am not making this stuff up I am simply revealing the truth. I am as much a Royalist and monarchist as the holy saints were and I am ashamed that this women will ever reign such a once Catholic country. disgusting!

These revelations about Letizia seem very similar to those in recent biography about her. So nothing really new here. Since I don't believe in this book's revelations about Leti's life in Mexico because it can be easily made up, I don't trust this recent news either.

Some stuff here are not really new. Everyone knows Letizia was already divorced before marriage.
Being agnostic is not a crime. I know many people that are agnostics. Maybe Leti changed after marrying Felipe, maybe not, but she shows respect to religion in public, so what she thinks about religion should be her private matter. I have seen agnostics marrying Catholics in religious ceremony, not a big deal.