The walls of the Palacio de la Zarzuela keep secrets that, with increasing insistence, are leaking to the public. What for years was a persistent rumor has now become a consolidated narrative in circles close to the monarchy: the marriage of Spain's monarchs, Felipe VI and Letizia Ortiz, is completely fractured.
Although the institutional facade remains impeccable at every official event, the reality behind closed doors paints a picture of separate lives, prolonged silences, and a coexistence pact that prioritizes the Crown above any emotional bond.
The distance between them isn't recent, but rather the result of a decade of wear and tear. Many place the turning point in 2012, with the outbreak of the Nóos case. It was then that Letizia, in a move to safeguard the institution, pushed to establish a protective barrier around Infanta Cristina and Iñaki Urdangarin.
That decision, which sought to protect her husband's future reign, opened an unbridgeable rift with part of the Borbón family and marked the beginning of a slow but inexorable deterioration in her own marital relationship.
Parallel lives in the Palacio de la Zarzuela
The coexistence between Felipe and Letizia has turned into what journalist Jaime Peñafiel described as "a work team." They fulfill their schedule, share the spotlight in front of the cameras, but their paths diverge in private.
Palace sources confirm that the King has made the Palacio de la Zarzuela his main refuge, very close to his mother, Queen Sofía. Meanwhile, Letizia lives in the Pabellón del Príncipe, which was once the marital residence, where she has built an independent life away from the monarch.
This distancing has fueled all kinds of information about their private lives. The tension and constant arguments have reportedly given way to a cold cordiality, a tacit agreement to keep up appearances while each one rebuilds their personal sphere. The image of unity they project is just that, an image. The reality is that these are two people who no longer share a life project, only the headship of the State.
From the ghost of Del Burgo to new residents in the palace
The shadow of Jaime del Burgo, the lawyer who shook the foundations of the monarchy by claiming to have been Letizia's lover during her marriage, has returned with force. These statements were given credibility by Jaime Peñafiel himself. It should be remembered that the veteran journalist, along with Pilar Eyre, knows more inside details about the Spanish royal family than anyone else.
The controversial statements by lawyer del Burgo, which included alleged encounters in a private suite in Zarzuela, have set a precedent and have given rise to new and surprising revelations. This is where the figure of Laura Rodríguez emerges, an expert on the royal household, who through her platforms has offered details about the Queen's new romantic reality.
According to Rodríguez, the room that del Burgo may have once occupied hasn't remained empty. The YouTuber claims that Letizia has rebuilt her life and points out that a well-known film director of Galician origin has become a regular presence in her wing of the palace, even spending the night there. To be fair, the same source indicates that King Felipe VI wouldn't be alone either. He is said to be in a relationship with a woman from an aristocratic family, with whom he would share hobbies and a circle of trust far from media scrutiny.
Rodríguez's claims draw a parallel that is devastating for the Queen's image: her behavior is a reflection of that of her father-in-law, Juan Carlos I. Several lovers and not having the courage to get divorced.