Spain’s Princess Cristina was questioned by a judge on Saturday in a corruption case that has deepened public anger over graft among the ruling class and discontent with the royal family.
It was the first time that a Spanish royal has been summoned in a criminal proceeding since the monarchy was restored in 1975 following the death of dictator Francisco Franco.
With Spain emerging slowly from a deep economic and financial crisis, judges are looking into hundreds of corruption cases left over from a property boom that ended abruptly in 2008.
Cristina, the younger daughter of King Juan Carlos and seventh in line to the throne, is answering preliminary charges of tax fraud and money laundering linked to her use of income from a shell company she co-owned with her husband Inaki Urdangarin.
She was driven down a ramp to the courthouse in Palma de Mallorca, capital of the Balearic Islands, and walked the last few steps, smiling at the press and dressed soberly in a white shirt and black jacket, Reuters informs.
