Spain's Princess Cristina to stand trial for fraud in royal family shame

Her and her husband's lavish lifestyle has angered austerity-stricken Spaniards

Princess Cristina, who was stripped of her title as duchess by her brother the king, has said she is upset at his cold treatment

A Spanish princess and her husband are to go on trial for tax evasion, fraud and embezzlement amid intense national scrutiny of the monarchy.

Princess Cristina, who is sixth in line to the throne and sister to the current king, will stand trial as an accomplice to tax fraud. She the first royal to face criminal charges since the reinstatement of the monarchy in 1975.

Her husband, the former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin, faces the more serious charge of fraudulently siphoning off funds from a "charitable" organisation he chairs to fund the couple's lifestyle, according to The Local.

The princess, whose trial is one of multiple corruption scandals among the Spanish elite, has denied any wrongdoing.

Spain's Princess Cristina (R) arrives to court with husband Inaki Urdangarin to appear on charges of tax fraud, as a long-running investigation into the business affairs of her husband goes to trial in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, January 11, 2016.

She is reportedly upset at her cold treatment by her brother, King Felipe, who promised to stamp out corruption when he gained the throne two years ago.

"It is very hard to be abandoned by your family," she was quoted as saying in the online publication El Espanol, according to the BBC.

Known as the "Noos case" since beginning in 2010, the trial rests on Mr Urdangarin and his former business partner Diego Torres being accused of embezzling €5.6 million (£4.1 million) of public grant money to their charitable organisation - the Noos Institute - to stage sporting events.

He is suspected of using his royal connections to secure inflated contracts without proper bids and of siphoning off the granted money into Aizon, a real estate company he runs with Princess Cristina to reportedly fund a lavish lifestyle.

If found guilty, the king's brother-in-law could face up to 19 years in prison - while his wife Cristina could face eight years.

The incident is an embarassment for the royal family, whose patriarch Juan Carlos of Spain was once a well-regarded figure. After being reinstated by Spanish dictator Franco in 1975, he disregarded the pro-monarchist's wishes and transitioned the country to a democracy instead.

Yet after the royal family's excesses angered Spaniards amid austerity and high youth unemployment rates - sparked by an extravagant elephant hunting trip by the king in 2012 - Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 in favour of his son Felipe.

When the current trial of Princess Cristina and Mr Urdangarin began, King Felipe chose to strip his older sister of her royal title as Duchess of Palma de Mallorca.

The Spanish monarchy was first removed by the Second Spanish Republic in 1931, but the republicans were overthrown in 1939 by pro-monarchist dictator General Franco.

Juan Carlos formally succeeded Franco following his death in 197 - but he instituted democratic reforms rather than clung onto authoritarian power.

Since 2010, however, the monarchy and other Spanish elites have been rocked by scandal and have seen waning support.