Corinna zu Sayn Wittgenstein appears on the cover of the June edition of Spain's Vanity Fair magazine alongside claims that she has been the King's unofficial companion on numerous private trips abroad.
Spain's royal family are facing fresh embarrassment with the publication of details of the controversial elephant hunting trip taken by King Juan Carlos last month and the mysterious role of the blonde aristocrat who accompanied him.
Corinna zu Sayn Wittgenstein appears on the cover of the June edition of Spain's Vanity Fair magazine alongside claims that she has been the King's unofficial companion on numerous private trips abroad, including the ill-fated Botswana safari in April which caused outrage in Spain.
The twice-divorced Princess Corinna, 46, who was born in Germany and claims her title through her second husband, has reportedly fled Spain amid intense speculation over the nature of her role within the Spanish monarchy.
"She has told me that the King is her friend and a great guy whom she admires. Nothing more, because if anything characterises her, it is discretion and loyalty," said Princess Corinna's first husband, Philip J Adkin, an American shipping magnate who confirmed he had also been a member of the hunting party in Botswana.
The hunting trip became public knowledge after the 74-year-old monarch fractured his hip in a fall in camp and was rushed back to Madrid for surgery. News of the King shooting endangered animals while Spaniards suffered deep economic strife was met with public outcry.
The King and Princess Corinna reportedly met when she was organising shooting expeditions for Boss & Co, Britain's oldest gunshop based in Mayfair where she worked until 2006. They were on the same safari in Mozambique in 2004. Several hunting trips followed as well as a trip to Saudi Arabia, and they have been photographed on the red carpet together several times.
Sources at the royal household insist she has no official role in relation to the King but friends spoken to by Vanity Fair talk of her being his "financial adviser" or of her "organising everything from A-Z" on behalf of the King on his trips abroad.
Adkin admitted his ex-wife had gone into hiding. She is taking legal action after several European tabloids made claims about her private life.
The allegations follow a difficult year for the royal family. King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia failed to mark their 50th wedding anniversary this week, intensifying speculation their marriage was over, while the King's son-in-law is accused of embezzling public funds. Queen Sofia was forced to cancel her attendance at a lunch in Windsor Castle today (Friday) at the insistence of the Spanish government in a row over Gibraltar.
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