This week, an episode has come to light that affects Queen Letizia and Infanta Cristina, two figures united by the institution but personally distant. The closest circle to Felipe VI's sister has revealed information that explains part of that cold relationship, marked by a decision that still weighs on their memory.
The account isn't limited to the outbreak of the Nóos case, which in 2010 marked a point of no return. The details point to a previous disagreement that left wounds difficult to heal. What exactly happened between Letizia and Cristina that caused trust to break so drastically?
The delicate decision by Queen Letizia regarding Infanta Cristina
During the early years, the relationship between Infanta Cristina and then-journalist Letizia Ortiz seemed to flow naturally. Both couples, Felipe and Letizia along with Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarin, shared dinners and gatherings in Barcelona, when the Duke of Palma lived there. In fact, it was common to see them together at sports and cultural events.
That bond was even reflected in a symbolic gesture: Iñaki Urdangarin himself purchased Felipe and Letizia's engagement ring at the Suárez jewelry store. Trust among the four was evident, until a family episode in 2005. Infanta Cristina's circle states that the first major disagreement with Queen Letizia occurred days before Irene's baptism.
Cristina had requested to stay at Zarzuela with her family, but she was met with a refusal from Letizia, who was in an advanced stage of pregnancy with Princess Leonor. The decision wasn't well received and left a trace of pain. For Cristina, that was interpreted as a cold gesture, very far from the closeness of the early years.
The official reason was the need to keep Letizia's peace during her pregnancy. However, the truth is that the episode planted the seed of a distance that would never be reversed. That domestic, almost intimate, disagreement became the turning point in a relationship that was never the same again.
The Nóos case as the definitive break between Queen Letizia and Infanta Cristina
Years later, in 2010, the outbreak of the Nóos case shook the foundations of the Borbón family. Iñaki Urdangarin was charged with embezzlement of funds and Infanta Cristina was implicated in a legal process that lasted until 2016. It was then that Felipe VI, already as king, made the decision to strip her of the title Duchess of Palma.
In that context, Letizia's role was consolidated as a pillar in the Crown's transparency strategy. Her stance toward Cristina was clear: keep a distance to protect the institution and, at the same time, her daughters. From that moment on, the queen never allowed any significant rapprochement.
The very act of removing the engagement ring from her hand, a piece of jewelry linked to Urdangarin, was interpreted as a sign of symbolic rupture. The piece that once represented trust became an uncomfortable reminder of the past.
A family relationship marked by coldness
Currently, meetings between Letizia and Cristina are limited to private events of the Borbón family. Infanta Cristina's 60th birthday, held in Geneva last January, was an example of this. The kings and the infantas met there, but, according to sources close to them, the interaction was purely cordial, with no signs of complicity.
Queen Letizia's strategy is clear: keep her distance and focus on her institutional role. For Cristina, however, the distance has meant personal pain in addition to the consequences of her legal situation. The infanta seeks to rebuild her life away from the spotlight, with extended stays in Switzerland and visits to Barcelona to keep in touch with her circle.
The revelation from Infanta Cristina's circle confirms that the relationship with Queen Letizia broke down long before the Nóos case. That rejection at Zarzuela and the subsequent legal decisions cemented an irreconcilable distance. The key will be to see whether time opens any space for forgiveness or if coldness will continue to mark the future of both.