Queen Letizia of Spain’s ex brother-in-law appears to double down on his astonishing claims they had an ‘affair’ as he insists that ‘Spaniards have the right to know who represents us’

Queen Letizia’s ex brother-in-law appeared to double down on sensational claims that he had a relationship with the royal, 51, before and after her marriage to King Felipe.

Businessman Jaime Del Burgo – who went on to marry Letizia’s sister, Telma Ortiz, who he is now separated from – in a recent social media post cryptically insisted that ‘the truth will come out’.

Writing on X, he also remarked that ‘Spaniards have the right to know who represents us by inheritance or election, what is behind the spotlight, the staging and the performance’.

In his elusive message, Del Burgo also referenced the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution – which prevents a President from being elected more than twice – and painter Francisco de Goya, who is known for his works depicting the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Spain, and especially the Peninsular War.

Del Burgo encouraged people to ‘firmly limit the scope of the expansive and suffocating power’ – otherwise he warned we will ‘continue to be slaves, and most of us without knowing it’, tagging both the Royal Family and Spanish president Pedro Sánchez in the post.

He concluded that people will be ‘sheep’ being ‘entertained’ – until they ‘wake up’. 

The post, from December 16, also included a photo of a book titled ‘El valor de la verdad’ – meaning ‘The Value of Truth’ – by María José Frápolli and Juan A. Nicolás.

The Spanish Royal Family have been rocked by the shocking accusations of an affair. The Spanish court has repeatedly refused to comment on the allegations.

Meanwhile, last week, the former King of Spain was accused of playing a part in ‘stirring up’ rumours about the alleged affair between Queen Letizia and her former brother-in-law.

A veteran Spanish journalist accused supporters of Juan Carlos, who has been all-but frozen out of the royal family, of whipping up a ‘campaign’ against his son Felipe.

Referring to the claims, popular radio host Federico Jiménez Losantos said: ‘It’s the ‘nth’ campaign orchestrated against Felipe VI,’ before adding: ‘It is Juan Carlos’s circles who are stirring it up.’ 

Juan Carlos reigned as King of Spain from 1975 to 2014 when he abdicated in favour of his son. 

The official reason was given as his age but a string of controversies ensued and there have been suggestions that he was pressured to give up the throne to protect the institution.

The corruption scandals he has been caught up in since he handed over to King Felipe VI, whose wife Letizia is a former journalist, have left his reputation in tatters. 

He now lives in Abu Dhabi and Spanish outlets have quoted sources close to the former monarch saying he is upset at being cast out by his family.

Now the latest rumours have plunged the Spanish monarchy into yet another scandal.

Del Burgo, 53, currently based in the UK, recently contributed to a tell-all book about the 51-year-old Spanish royal, Letizia y Yo (Letizia and I).

In it, he claims he and Letizia were dating when she met Felipe and were still romantically involved after her 2004 wedding to the Spanish King. 

Following the bombshell claims, the entrepreneur shared a selfie the Queen took in a mirror during one of her pregnancies as ‘evidence’ of their relationship.

In the selfie, 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,’ 

Spanish media have reported other messages he supposedly posted on X, which the entrepreneur is understood to have removed shortly after he published them, that pointed to them having a secret affair after Letizia married Felipe. 

After sharing the selfie, other X users questioned the validity of Del Burgo’s claims – given there is no evidence that Letizia sent him the photo or accompanying message.

Del Burgo’s tweet, and the others alluded to by some Spanish media, followed the publication of a bombshell book by veteran journalist and author Jaime Penafiel called ‘Letizia y Yo’ – Spanish for ‘Letizia and I’. 

Father-of-two Del Burgo, who divorced Telma Ortiz by mutual consent in 2016 four years after they married and two years after they split up, claimed in the 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.

Jaime also makes 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.

He said in quotes Jaime Penafiel said he had obtained via emails and phone calls with del Burgo: ‘When we met, she took hold of my hand and asked me why I had never asked her to marry me. Obviously I didn’t reply. 

‘I encouraged her as best I could. The last thing she said to me before we said goodbye to each other in that restaurant was a request: “Never leave me.”‘

The businessman – who is the son of the former politician Jaime Ignacio del Burgo – claimed 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 which was released last month: ‘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 remarried Swedish lawyer Lucía Díaz Liljestrom.

His X bio also says he is father to ‘Ulla and Liv’. 

Speaking to El Cierre Digitial, Letizia and I author Jaime Penafiel 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.’ 

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 claims 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 claimed that ‘love was always there’ in their relationship since they travelled to Venice together. The selfie Del Burgo shared on Twitter was taken during one of Letizia’s pregnancies between 2005-2007. 

Following this, Jaime alleges they ‘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.’ 

Jaime Penafiel goes on to write that when Sofia was born, Jaime 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, Jaime alleges Letizia abruptly ended their relationship when she called him and said: ‘We can’t continue seeing each other.’

Following this, Del Burgo alleges 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.

Letizia and Telma tragically lost their younger sister Erika in February 2007 when she passed away following a deliberate drug overdose.  Queen Letizia’s younger sister was only 31 years old and left behind her six-year-old daughter Carla. 

At the time, the Spanish royal was six months pregnant with her second daughter – Princess Sofia. 

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.

Last week, the King and Queen made their first public appearance together since Letizia’s ex-brother-in-law claimed he’d had an affair with the royal.

The couple brushed off the scandalous allegations and beamed as they arrived at a meeting with officials from the Princesa de Girona Foundation at the royal palace in Madrid.

Dressed in a scarlet red top and a black skirt with floral detailing, paired with knee length suede boots, mother-of-two Letizia looked up at her husband and smiled as they strolled into the room.

Meanwhile Felipe, looking sharp as always in a tailored suit, beamed back at his wife as they appeared deep in conversation.

And yesterday the pair appeared loved up as ever as they arrived for Infanta Elena’s 60th birthday party in Madrid.

Letizia looked cut an elegant figure for her sister-in-law’s celebrations as she arrived at the exclusive Pabú restaurant with Felipe in the country’s capital.

Meanwhile the King looked equally dapper in a dark grey suit.

The royal paired his suit with a light blue shirt, red patterned tie and maroon patent shoes. 

The couple were seen happily speaking to staff as they arrived, before later peering their heads around the door to wave to royal fans.

Referring to the scandal earlier this month, a spokesperson for the Spanish Royal Family told FEMAIL: ‘We have no comment to make about this.’