A couple’s 20th wedding anniversary should be a delightful occasion – but for the Spanish King and Queen, it’s perhaps not as joyful as it could’ve been seven months ago, before bombshell claims of an ‘affair’ rocked the monarchy.
King Felipe, 56, and Queen Letizia, 51, will mark their significant milestone on 22 May, and have already shared sweet family photographs alongside their daughters Princesses Leonor, 18, and Sofia, 17, to celebrate.
Two decades after their wedding at Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, the royal couple looked as loved up as ever – despite being confronted late last year by Letizia’s ex brother-in-law’s explosive claims that he had once been romantically linked to her.
Jaime Del Burgo, 53, who is based in the UK, has shockingly alleged that he and the Spanish King’s wife had an affair after the former journalist’s 2004 nuptials to Felipe VI. He has more than once doubled down on the bombshell claims on social media.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, at the start of May, the lawyer also revealed his plans to produce an eight-part TV series, detailing the ‘truth’ about his bombshell claims.
King Felipe, 56, and Queen Letizia (pictured in 2020), 51, will mark their significant milestone on 22 May, and have already shared sweet family photographs alongside their daughters Princesses Leonor , 18, and Sofia, 17, to celebrate
The ‘affair’ rumours first rocked the Spanish monarchy in November after Del Burgo contributed to a tell-all book about the Queen of Spain, titled Letizia y Yo (Letizia and I) by journalist Jaime Peñafiel.
Neither Spain‘s Royal Family nor Letizia have made any comment about the claims repeatedly and very public aired by Jaime del Burgo or Jaime Penafiel.
Referring to the scandal last year, a spokesperson for the Spanish Royal Family told FEMAIL: ‘We have no comment to make about this.’
Earlier this month, Del Burgo took to X to claim that he had abandoned plans to publish his own tell-all book and instead would be producing an eight-part documentary, titled ‘Nothing but the Truth’.
He wrote: ‘And Nothing but the Truth, the book I promised, will instead be a TV film and documentary with eight episodes. I will start the production after summer. Coming in 2025.’
In his post, he also once again shared an undated selfie the Spanish Queen, 51, took in a bathroom mirror during one of her pregnancies. He’s previously suggested this is ‘evidence’ of their relationship.
His latest remarks come after he had mysteriously deleted all his posts on X. He seemed to have restarted his social media account in March, after entirely emptying his profile.
Earlier that month, his profile photo had been replaced with a simple black background. The cover picture was also an elusive blurred image (this remains the same), and he followed no accounts, although he now follows Elon Musk, who owns X.
Jaime Del Burgo (pictured with the sister of Letizia), 53, who is based in the UK, has shockingly alleged that he and the Spanish King’s wife had an affair after the former journalist’s 2004 nuptials to Felipe VI. He has more than once doubled down on the bombshell claims on social media
In his post, he also once again shared an undated selfie the Spanish Queen, 51, took in a bathroom mirror during one of her pregnancies. He’s previously suggested this is ‘evidence’ of their relationship
King Felipe and Queen Letizia on their wedding day in Madrid in May 2004. Del Burgo claims he was going to propose to the newsreader until she announced she had met King Felipe
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, at the start of May, the lawyer also revealed his plans to produce an eight-part TV series, detailing the ‘truth’ about his bombshell claims
Contributing to Peñafiel’s Letizia y Yo (Letizia and I), Del Burgo claims in the book that he and Letizia were dating when she met Felipe and were still romantically involved after her wedding to the Spanish King 20 years ago.
Following the bombshell allegations, the entrepreneur shared a selfie the Queen took in a mirror during one of her pregnancies as ‘evidence’ of their relationship.
In it, the royal can be seen wearing a black pashmina – which Del Burgo claims belonged to him – and he also typed out a message in his social media post, supposedly sent to him by Letizia.
It read: ‘Love. I wear your pashmina. It’s like feeling you by my side. It takes care of me. It protects me. I count the hours until we see each other again. Love you. Get out of here. Yours,’
Father-of-two Del Burgo divorced Telma Ortiz by mutual consent in 2016 – four years after they married and two years after they split up.
He claimed in Peñafiel’s book that he was carrying an engagement ring in his pocket during a meeting at Madrid’s Ritz Hotel with his ‘then-girlfriend’ Letizia in 2002 when she told him she had fallen in love with the future King of Spain.
He alleged he became friends with Felipe after they met and was asked by Letizia to be a witness at their May 22, 2004 wedding.
Del Burgo also made the incredible claim that the Queen asked to see him the night before the wedding at the exclusive El Latigazo restaurant in Madrid – where she asked him to ‘never leave’ her.
The businessman – who is the son of the former politician Jaime Ignacio del Burgo – said their ‘romantic’ relationship was forged in Venice and pre-dated the year 2000.
He also recalled a moment he says occurred following Princess Leonor’s birth when they were lying together in a hammock by a pool, saying in the book: ‘Letizia told me «I love you» and I responded «I love you».’
Telma is now with Irish lawyer Gavin Bonnar and the couple welcomed their first child together in October 2021. Gavin shares two children with his first wife – musician Sharon Corr.
In her recent album, The Fool & The Scorpion, Sharon wrote lyrics which included the phrase ‘the queen’s twisted sister’ – which fans speculated were inspired by her children’s new step-mother.
Meanwhile, Del Burgo married Swedish lawyer Lucía Díaz Liljestrom. His X bio also once said he is father to ‘Ulla and Liv’ – but is now blank.
Speaking to El Cierre Digitial, Peñafiel said Letizia was Del Burgo’s ‘great love’ and the pair’s relationship turned into a ‘great friendship’ after she became romantically involved with Felipe.
What’s more, the royal’s ex-brother-in-law also made the far-fetched claim that he ‘dealt’ with Letizia’s pre-nuptial agreement and helped to front the cost of the Queen’s family’s wedding outfits.
He is quoted as saying: ‘When the wedding with Felipe came round, I dealt with the pre-nuptial agreement as you know, amongst other things.
‘I also had to pay Letizia’s family’s expenses because [former King] Juan Carlos refused to pay or even go halves with me. So with the help of my friend Felipe Varela, I dressed her mum, grandmother and her sisters. And with the help of Jaime Jason, her father, grandparents and a cousin.’
Two decades after their wedding at Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, the royal couple looked as loved up as ever (pictured next to their daughters in a new portrait) – despite being rocked late last year by explosive claims made by Letizia’s ex brother-in-law that he had once been romantically linked to her
The Queen – who donned a surprisingly casual pair of white sneakers – appeared as jovial as ever as she posed alongside her husband in the family photos
In the book, Letizia’s alleged ex-lover describes Felipe as a ‘kind-hearted man’ and even goes on to say that he had a ‘great friendship’ with the royal. He told the author: ‘I told him my problems and he told [me] his.’
The businessman even said that Felipe ‘uses [him] as a good man because he felt incapable of calming [Letizia] down’ on occasions.
Following the wedding, Del Burgo described how Letizia was like a ‘fox in a chicken coop’ as she was ‘cleverer than any of them’.
Del Burgo – who says the Queen nicknamed him her ‘yogi pal’ – claims he still had a romantic relationship with Letizia even after the wedding in 2004. He also claims he has kept ‘photographs, videos, mobile phones’ and text messages as evidence.
The businessman insists that ‘love was always there’ in their relationship since they travelled to Venice together. The selfie Del Burgo shared on X was taken during one of Letizia’s pregnancies between 2005-2007.
Following this, they allegedly ‘took steps forward with the goal of being free’ – which involved seeking legal advice and looking at properties in the US.
One of the most damaging claims Del Burgo reportedly makes is that Queen Letizia suggested they have a child together using a surrogate in Los Angeles.
Around this time, Del Burgo claims that he confronted Letizia after photos of her kissing Felipe appeared on the covers of Spanish magazines. He claims the Queen told him: ‘I had to do it to protect us.’
Spanish Crown Prince Felipe de Bourbon and his bride Letizia look at each other as the royal couple appears on the balcony of Royal Palace May 22, 2004
Peñafiel also wrote that when Sofia was born, Del Burgo became uncle to both of the girls.
It then quotes him as saying: ‘It was a beautiful period. I didn’t have children, and those girls made me so happy. I was working in Brazil and suffered a pulmonary embolism.
‘I was in intensive care for a fortnight. I managed to get the Albert Einstein Hospital to give me a telephone Letizia and I spoke to each other every day on [the phone].
‘During my visits to Madrid I would often go to the cinema with Felipe, Letizia and some friends. Letizia and I would always sit together, holding hands. They were moments of happiness.’
However in August 2011, Del Burgo says Letizia abruptly ended their relationship when she called him and said: ‘We can’t continue seeing each other.’
Following this, he claims that a female friend told him to get in touch with Telma – who he had met when he first started dating Letizia.
The following year, the pair got engaged after just two months of dating. The Queen’s sister already had her daughter Amanda from her relationship with ex-partner Enrique Martin Llop.
In 2012, the pair relocated to New York to start their married life – but Telma returned to Barcelona the same year before announcing their permanent separation.
Queen Letizia during her time as a newsreader for Television Espanola before her wedding to King Felipe
Telma Ortiz is seen leaving the EDP Gran Via Theater after attending the ‘We Choose Earth Tour’ on June 22, 2023 in Madrid
Letizia studied her Masters in broadcast journalism and after a stint at Asturian daily paper, La Nueva España, she went on to work for ABC, a popular national newspaper that enjoys the third largest circulation in Spain.
Next came a stint at Spanish news agency EFE before a move to Guadalajara in Mexico saw her take on a role on local paper, Siglo 21.
Back in Spain a year later, she worked for the Spanish version of Bloomberg, a news channel and agency specialising in economics, before moving to CNN+.
Before she met Felipe of Spain, Letizia was married to high school literature teacher Alonso Guerrero Perez, who was nine years her senior.
The couple wed in 1998 following a ten-year romance, with the pair meeting when the future Spanish queen was just 16.
They tied the knot in a civil ceremony in the town of Almendralejo, Badajoz, but divorced the following year.
By the time she met her husband-to-be, Felipe, in 2002, Letizia was working for popular TV channel 24 Horas, where along with anchoring the popular Telediario 2 evening news bulletin she reported on a wide range of breaking news event.
As a news anchor, she reported live from Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
She met Prince Felipe the following year – at the site of an oil spillage in Northern Spain. The year after first meeting Felipe, Letizia quit her job and a few days later their engagement was announced.
Letizia and Felipe’s marriage in Madrid in 2004 prompted an upswing in support for the royal family, and her habit of championing High Street brands like Zara proved popular. She and Felipe had two daughters, Leonor in 2005 and Sofia in 2007.
Letizia and her husband have continued to put on a united front amid the shocking claims, most recently releasing official family portraits to mark their 20th wedding anniversary.
In the sweet images, the Spanish King and his wife stood alongside their two daughters Princesses Leonor and Sofia for the new photographs.
The Queen – who donned a surprisingly casual pair of white sneakers – appeared as jovial as ever as she posed alongside her husband in the family photos.
In one image, King Felipe stood behind his wife and placed both hands on her shoulders – perhaps to signal his unwavering support.
The couple turned their heads away from the gaze of the camera, while their two daughters are seen walking towards them in the distance.
Set upon an idyllic green setting, it appeared the images were shot on the grounds of their home at the Palace of Zarzuela on the outskirts of Madrid.
In a separate image and against a backdrop of the palace, the King wrapped one arm around his stunning wife while she stood side on and smiled.
Meanwhile, in a third photo the royals modelled the role of a perfect loving family as they beamed beside each other while sitting on a wooden bench.
