Infanta Cristina (Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santísima Trinidad de Borbón y de Grecia, born 13 June 1965) is the younger daughter of King Juan Carlos I and his wife, Queen Sofía. She is sixth in the line of succession to the Spanish throne, after her brother King Felipe VI's children, her sister Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo, and Elena's children Felipe and Victoria. On 26 September 1997, on the occasion of her marriage to

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

player Iñaki Urdangarin, she was created Duchess of Palma de Mallorca, by her father, King Juan Carlos. From 2013 to 2017, she was investigated for possible corruption involving a company she owned along with her husband. In 2015, her brother stripped her of her royal dukedom. In 2017 she was acquitted of all charges. Cristina represented the Crown during the reign of her father. Since October 2011, she has remained apart from the royal family and any official act of the Crown and, since 2014, she is no longer a member of the royal family.

Early life

Cristina de Borbón was born on 13 June 1965 at Our Lady of Loreto Sanatorium, now known as ORPEA Madrid Loreto in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

and was

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

into the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

at the Palacio de La Zarzuela by the Archbishop of Madrid. Her godparents were Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz (her first cousin once removed), and Infanta Maria Cristina (great-aunt). She is a sailor, and competed in the Tornado event at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

. She received her secondary education at Santa María del Camino School before graduating from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 1989 with a degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. She pursued postgraduate studies at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, obtaining an MA in

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

in 1990. In 1991, she gained practical experience working at the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

headquarters in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. In 2001, she was named United Nations goodwill ambassador United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the 2nd World Assembly on Aging. She speaks Spanish, Catalan, English, French, and Greek.

Marriage and children

Cristina married

team handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a Handball goalkeeper, goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands ...

player Iñaki Urdangarin at

Barcelona Cathedral The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (), also known as Barcelona Cathedral, is the seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. The cathedral was constructed from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, with the principa ...

on 4 October 1997. On this occasion, she was created Duchess of Palma de Mallorca for life. The couple has four children, all born at Teknon Medical Centre in Barcelona: * Juan Valentín Urdangarin y Borbón,

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

(born 29 September 1999), * Pablo Nicolás Sebastián Urdangarin y de Borbón, Grandee of Spain (born 6 December 2000), * Miguel Urdangarin y Borbón, Grandee of Spain (born 30 April 2002), * Irene Urdangarin y Borbón, Grandee of Spain (born 5 June 2005). They lived in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, from 2009 to 2012, where her husband worked for

Telefónica , S.A. () is a Spanish multinational telecommunications company with registered office and headquarters located in two different places, both in Madrid, Spain. It is one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the ...

. In August 2013, she moved with her four children to

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, Switzerland, to take a job with the Caixa Foundation, while her husband, who was the subject of an embezzlement investigation, remained in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. On 24 January 2022, Cristina and Urdangarin announced their separation. The couple divorced in December 2023.

Activities and personal work

Cristina started to attend official events at a very young age. One of the first official events she attended was the proclamation of her father in November 1975. Since finishing her most basic education in 1983, Cristina, along with her sister Elena, supported their parents representing the Crown at official events such as the National Day, the wedding of Princess Astrid of Belgium, the re-burial of Queen Victoria Eugenia at

El Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (), or (), is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up the valley ( road distance) from the town of El Escorial, Madrid, El ...

, and the state visit of Mexican president

Miguel de la Madrid Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (; 12 December 1934 – 1 April 2012) was a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 59th president of Mexico from 1982 to 1988. Inheriting a severe economic an ...

to Spain, among others. After the corruption scandal of her husband, the Duchess and her husband distanced themselves from the royal family, being their last official event as members of the royal family on 12 October 2011. After the ascension of her brother in June 2014, she formally left the royal family. Regarding her personal work, Cristina has been working for

La Caixa Foundation LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

since October 1993. At the same time, she works for the Aga Khan Foundation. She visits Barcelona often for work, but she has lived in

, Switzerland since 2013. Since 2024, although she has maintained her residence in Geneva, she spends long periods at the Royal Palace of Zarzuela, where her younger children live with their grandmother.

Corruption inquiry

Her husband was investigated from early 2012 on suspicion of fraudulently obtaining millions in public funds in the Nóos case. In April 2013, Infanta Cristina was formally named as a suspect in the case by the judge in charge. When invited to comment, a Royal Household spokesman said that the ''Casa Real'' "does not comment on judicial decisions", yet the next day, after the anti-corruption prosecutor announced that he would appeal the decision, it relented by expressing "absolute conformity" with the legal authorities. In light of the forthcoming trial, she and her children moved to

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, in summer 2013. On 7 January 2014, a Spanish judge charged her with tax fraud and money laundering and ordered her to appear in court. The infanta made her first appearance in the Majorca Court on 8 February 2014, where she denied any knowledge of her husband's dealings. Spanish judge Jose Castro formalised charges against Infanta Cristina on 25 June 2014. In November 2014 the High Court of Palma de Mallorca upheld tax fraud charges against the princess, paving the way for her to face trial; however, it decided to drop money-laundering charges. Her lawyers maintained that they remained completely convinced of her innocence. On 22 December 2014 the High Court of the Balearic Islands announced that Infanta Cristina, her husband, and 15 others would stand trial on tax fraud charges "as soon as next year". On 12 June 2015, King Felipe VI officially deprived his sister of her

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

dom, privately announcing his intention beforehand. After this decision was made public, Cristina's lawyer,

Miquel Roca Miquel Roca Junyent (Bordeaux, France, 20 April 1940) is a Spanish lawyer and politician from Democratic Convergence of Catalonia. He is one of the Fathers of the Constitution in Spain. Early life Miquel Roca i Junyent was descendant to two Ca ...

, declared that the king's decision followed a formal request from the infanta, although the Royal Household denied it, saying that her renunciation to the title was after the king's private phone call to communicate her the decision. Her right of succession to the throne, and to the royal title of ''infanta'' were unaffected. Cristina's trial began on 11 January 2016, presided over by three judges in

Palma de Mallorca Palma (, ; ), also known as Palma de Mallorca (officially between 1983 and 1988, 2006–2008, and 2012–2016), is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is ...

. The charges were filed by the 'Clean Hands' anti-graft organisation using a Spanish legal instrument known as the 'people's accusation'. At that time, her lawyers had asked judges to drop the criminal charges against her, and the state prosecutor said there was insufficient evidence to back up the accusations, but on 29 January the Court in Palma de Mallorca, where the trial was being held, said in a statement it was upholding the charges. She took the stand in March 2016, denying being an accessory to tax evasion, and denying knowledge of her husband's activities. She insisted on her right to answer only questions from her own lawyer. She said that her husband handled the couple's finances, and that she did not know why some large personal expenses were charged to a credit card of a company that the couple owned. She said that she never spoke with her husband about these matters because she was not interested in the subject, and that she was very busy with her small children. On 17 February 2017, she was acquitted of the charges, while her husband received a sentence of imprisonment for a term of six years and three months.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

As a child of a Spanish monarch, Cristina is entitled to the designation and rank of infanta (princess) with the style of ''

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Kings and their female consorts, as well as queens regnant, are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of a ...

''. On the occasion of her marriage in 1997, she was created Duchess of Palma de Mallorca. She lost the dukedom in 2015 following her husband's alleged involvement in a corruption scandal. * 13 June 1965 – 4 October 1997: ''Her Royal Highness'' Infanta Doña Cristina * 4 October 1997 – 11 June 2015: ''Her Royal Highness'' Infanta Doña Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca * 11 June 2015 – present: ''Her Royal Highness'' Infanta Doña Cristina

Honours

National honours

* : Dame Grand Cross of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

* : Dame Grand Cross of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

* : Golden Medal of the Balearic Islands. * : Golden Medal of the City of

Elche Elche (, ; , , , ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2024's data, Elche has a population of 234,800 inhabitants,

Foreign honours

* : Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria * : Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold * : Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit * : Member Supreme Class of the Order of the Virtues * : Grand Cross with Silver Star of the Order of José Matías Delgado * : Grand Cross 1st class of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

* : Grand Cross of the Order of Honour * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Quetzal * : Grand Cross of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon () is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by Christian X of Denmark, King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. Nowaday ...

* : Grand Cordon (Paulownia) of the Order of the Precious Crown * : Grand Cordon of the Order of the Star of Jordan * : Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau * : Grand Cross of the

Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle () forms part of the Mexican Honors System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933, by President Abelardo L. Rodríguez as a reward to ...

* Nepalese Royal Family: Member First Class of the Most Illustrious Order of the Three Divine Powers * : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

* : Grand Cross of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

* : Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun * : Grand Cross of the Order of Christ * : Grand Cross of the

Order of Prince Henry The Order of Prince Henry () is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese ''infante'' Prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of the Age of Discovery. M ...

* : Recipient of the 50th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf * : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

Ancestry

References

External links

Royal Household of HM the King official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cristina Of Spain, Infanta 1965 births Living people Spanish infantas Daughters of kings House of Bourbon (Spain) Complutense University of Madrid alumni Dukes of Palma de Mallorca Sailors at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Tornado Olympic sailors for Spain Spanish female sailors (sport) Nobility from Madrid Spanish expatriates in Switzerland Dames Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Grand Cordons of the Order of the Precious Crown Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal) Grand Crosses of the Order of Prince Henry Grand Crosses of the Order of the Quetzal Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Members of the Order of Tri Shakti Patta, First Class Grand Crosses of the Order of José Matías Delgado Grand Crosses of the Order of the Sun of Peru 20th-century Spanish sportswomen