Ex-King of Spain Juan Carlos wins bid to end £126m High Court battle

Ex-King of Spain Juan Carlos, 85, wins bid to end £126million High Court battle with Danish ex-lover who accused him of spying on and harassing her

The former king of Spain Juan Carlos has won a bid to end a £126million High Court battle with his Danish ex-lover who accused him of spying on and harassing her.

Businesswoman Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, who is in her late 50s, claimed the former royal had caused her ‘great mental pain’. 

Juan Carlos, 85, has denied wrongdoing and disputed the claims made against him, arguing they are not ‘viable’.

In a judgment at the High Court in London today, Justice Rowena Collins Rice said the court ‘lacks jurisdiction to try this claim’ because it was brought against the defendant outside of his country of domicile. 

She added that Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn ‘has not sufficiently established that the “harmful event” of which she complains – harassment by the defendant – happened in England’. 

In a statement, Juan Carlos – who abdicated in 2014 – said he welcomed the judge’s decision. Meanwhile, Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn said she was ‘deeply disappointed’. 

Former royal Juan Carlos, 85, has denied wrongdoing and disputed the claims made against him, arguing they are not ‘viable’

Businesswoman Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (pictured), who is in her late 50s, claimed the former royal had caused her ‘great mental pain’ and was suing him for £126million

Justice Collins Rice said: ‘The claimant has an account she wishes to give of her personal and financial history with the defendant, and about the harm he has caused her peace of mind and personal wellbeing, and her business, social and family life.

READ MORE: King Juan Carlos’s ex-lover is selling her remote £15M stately home in the heart of Shropshire 

‘I take no view about that account as such. The only question for me has been whether the claimant can compel the defendant to give his side of the story to the High Court. My conclusion, as things stand, is that she cannot.’

In a statement Juan Carlos said: ‘While His Majesty Juan Carlos regrets the outlay of energy and resources involved in the proceedings, he nonetheless welcomes the decision of the High Court of London, which unsurprisingly confirms his innocence.

‘In order to allow justice to pursue its work in complete serenity, His Majesty has voluntarily exercised the utmost discretion throughout the trial, and has therefore refrained from any public comment.

‘Today’s decision, favorable to His Majesty, re-establishes the conditions necessary for further public appearances.’

Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, who has homes in England, previously told the judge in a written witness statement that she had earned ‘significant’ sums working as a ‘strategic consultant’. 

In a statement, Juan Carlos – who abdicated in 2014 – said he welcomed the judge’s decision

Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn pictured leaving the Royal Courts of Justice in London in July 

She added that she wants to hold Juan Carlos to account for the ‘harm caused to my mental health by his harassment’ and to hold him responsible for the ‘full financial consequences of his actions’.

READ MORE: King Juan Carlos’ ex-lover tells High Court judge she wants £126million in damages

During a four-day-hearing in July, Adam Wolanski KC, for the former monarch, asked the judge to ‘strike out’ Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn’s claim.

He said: ‘The pleaded case of harassment is a diffuse collection of complaints, some trivial, mostly historic.’

The barrister said Juan Carlos ’emphatically denies ever having harassed the claimant’.

Lawyers representing Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn said the bid to end the case was ‘misconceived’ and should be refused.

‘The suggestion made on behalf of the defendant that the claim is somehow abusive in that it is by itself designed to harass a vulnerable elderly statesman is both unfounded and bold,’ said barrister Jonathan Caplan KC, for Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn.

A number of other judges have overseen earlier hearings in the litigation.

Juan Carlos (pictured with Queen Sofia) ruled from 1975 until his abdication in 2014

 Pictured: Juan Carlos attending Queen Elizabeth II funeral in September 2022

Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn accused Juan Carlos of spying on and harassing her

Judges have been told that Juan Carlos ruled from 1975 until his abdication in 2014 and the succession of his son, King Felipe VI.

They have heard that Ms zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn is Danish, lived in Monaco between 2008 and 2019, and has homes in London and Shropshire.

Previously another High Court judge – Mr Justice Nicklin – had ruled that claims could be considered at a trial in England.

However, Court of Appeal judges in London later concluded that ‘the pre-abdication conduct alleged’ was ‘immune from the jurisdiction of the courts of this country’, and ended those parts of the claim.

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