London Court Rejects £126 Million Harassment Case Against Ex-King of Spain

A legal case brought by Danish businesswoman Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn against the former king of Spain, Juan Carlos, has been dismissed by a London court. Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn had accused Juan Carlos of orchestrating a campaign of harassment against her following the end of their relationship in 2012. She claimed that the harassment included spying and break-ins and began after she declined to return gifts worth millions of pounds that she had received from him.

However, on Friday, a judge ruled that the High Court of England and Wales lacked jurisdiction in the case. The judge did not make a judgement on the substance of the allegations but stated that Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, a British citizen, had not sufficiently established that the alleged harmful events occurred in England.

Juan Carlos, who denied the allegations, was described as being unsurprisingly innocent by a spokesperson for the former monarch. The ruling was seen as restoring the conditions necessary for his further public appearances.

In response to the court’s decision, Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn expressed deep disappointment and highlighted the challenges victims of harassment often face in seeking justice within the legal system.

The case initially faced legal hurdles, with UK judges ruling in December that she could not sue the former king over allegations related to his time as monarch due to his sovereign immunity.

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn had asserted that Juan Carlos pressured her to return gifts worth 65 million euros after their relationship ended. Their controversial elephant-hunting trip to Botswana in 2012, in which Juan Carlos was injured and had to be flown home, sparked public outrage in Spain amid a financial crisis and high unemployment rates.