In another blow to Spain’s royal family, a court named Princess Cristina, the king’s daughter, as a suspect Wednesday in a corruption case involving her husband.

    SPAIN’S Princess Cristina, daughter of King Juan Carlos, has been summoned to testify over accusations against her husband, the latest in a spate of high-level graft cases that have angered Spaniards suffering in a severe recession.

    The princess, 47, was ordered to appear before a judge April 27, in a pre-trial investigation amounting to an extraordinary legal move against a member of the royal family.

    Judge Jose Castro said there was evidence the princess was an accomplice to her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, who has been accused of tax fraud and embezzling 6 million euros (US$7.8 million) in public funds when he headed a charitable foundation. The magistrate added there was evidence the princess was aware that her husband had used her name and status in his dealings, from which both had benefited. Castro said such evidence could lead the princess to be classified as an accomplice.

    Investigating authorities allege that Urdangarin and his former business partner Diego Torres funneled about 5 million euros in public funds to companies they controlled. The two ran a nonprofit organization called the Noos Institute, through which the funds were channeled and of which the princess was a board member.

    Speculation that the princess could be involved began when Torres reportedly began turning over to the judge copies of emails he had exchanged with Urdangarin.

    The judge recently set joint bail of 8.2 million euros for Urdangarin and Torres and said the two “ignored the rules of public contracting as long as they achieved their aim, which was no other than to divert public funds for their own benefit or that of others.”

    The deals Urdangarin landed involved activities like organizing seminars or using sports as a tourism lure.

    The court summons is a first for a member of the king’s immediate family. The Royal Palace expressed surprise at the judge’s decision and would not comment about what the princess’ defense will be.

    “The law is the same for everyone,” the judge said in a court document explaining his decision, echoing the king’s own words in his 2011 Christmas address to the nation.

    The announcement comes after a year of health and image problems for 75-year-old King Juan Carlos, once one of Spain’s most popular figures, widely admired for his role in helping steer Spain to democracy in the 1970s.

    Corruption experts said Castro was building up to issuing a formal indictment against both Urdangarin and Cristina that could lead to putting them both on trial.

    “This is the toughest blow the royal family has received within the last few years, or ever since I can remember,” said Jan Martinez Ahrens, deputy editor of El Pais, the country’s leading newspaper.

    Disenchantment with the rich and powerful has grown in Spain as unemployment has soared to 26 percent, one of the worst rates in Europe, and as cases of corruption and nepotism in the ruling classes have piled up.

    Manuel Villoria, an expert in corruption and professor of political science at King Juan Carlos University, called the charges “devastating” for the royal family.

    “He (Castro) is saying he considers (Cristina) an accomplice, that he (Urdangarin) could not have done it without her. She had knowledge and didn’t put a stop to it,” Villoria said.

    The decision will probably deepen public disenchantment with the royal family and fuel debate on whether the once-popular king should abdicate in favor of his son, Crown Prince Felipe.

    Urdangarin, 45, has already been questioned twice by Castro since the probe began two years ago.

    Castro had been looking into emails which were sent by Urdangarin to his wife asking for her advice on business matters at the Noos Foundation.

    A former Olympics handball player, Urdangarin is accused of using his powerful connections to win public contracts to stage events on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca and elsewhere in Spain.

    Castro said he had charged Princess Cristina because he wanted her to testify in person, and under Spanish law she could have avoided doing so had he charged her as a witness.

    Urdangarin comes from a wealthy Basque family but is not nobility; he became Duke of Palma because Cristina is Duchess of Palma. They have married Oct. 4, 1995 and four children. Cristina, whose full name Cristina Federica de Borbon y Grecia, is the youngest of the king’s two daughters and the middle child of his three children. She is seventh in the line of succession.

    The king and his wife, Queen Sofia, have tried to distance themselves from the scandal. The royal family last year sidelined Urdangarin from all official royal activities. He has been barred from royal family events, and photographs of him have been taken off the official website.

    “I think this is a good thing. If she did something wrong, it’s logical that justice be done,” said Diana Presa, a student in Madrid, referring to the charges against Cristina.

    In an unrelated case that has also stirred public ire, judges have brought charges against three former treasurers of the governing People’s Party for crimes ranging from bribery to money laundering to tax evasion.

    Public irritation with the king has risen as his luxury lifestyle, rumors of adultery and allegations of corruption in the royal family have taken prominence in once respectful local media while ordinary Spaniards face a crippling economic crisis.

    Carlos was once revered for his role in shepherding a transition to democracy in the 1970s after dictator Francisco Franco died. But his image has deteriorated.

    The king’s fortunes first turned sour last year when it was revealed that he broke his hip while on an unannounced luxurious African safari to hunt elephants at a time when ordinary Spaniards were suffering under government austerity measures.

    He has also had several other health problems and in recent months has looked decidedly frail. In March 2012, the king was operated on for a herniated disc in his lower spine. The operation was the head of state’s fourth in 12 months.

    In December a survey found 79 percent of Spaniards felt that Prince Felipe was ready to be head of state, while the king’s personal approval rating had fallen to 58 percent, down from 74 percent before his safari.

    The latest CIS poll showed Spaniards naming corruption as the nation’s second-biggest problem after unemployment.(SD-Agencies)