Spain's Princess Cristina due in court over corruption case

Spain's Princess Cristina is due to be questioned in court in connection with a corruption scandal involving the business dealings of her husband.

It will be the first time in history a member of Spain's royal family has appeared in court as the subject of a criminal investigation.

Inaki Urdangarin is alleged to have defrauded regional governments of millions of euros of public money.

The princess and her husband deny any wrongdoing, and have not been charged.

Princess Cristina, 48, will accompanied by her lawyer as she answers dozens of questions from a judge in a closed-door hearing set to start at 10:00 local time (09:00 GMT) at the main court building in Palma de Mallorca, capital of the Balearic Islands.

Princess Cristina's lawyers say that she is calm and ready for her court appearance

Inaki Urdangarin, Princess Cristina's husband, is being investigated for tax fraud and money laundering

The court hearing takes place amid a heavy security operation
The BBC's Tom Burridge in Madrid says the world's media will be waiting outside the courtroom, analysing every detail of a corruption case which has gone on for three years and made headlines in Spain on an almost daily basis.

The princess's husband is accused of organising events for two regional governments at hugely inflated prices, while she is suspected of spending some of that money on personal expenses.

Spain's royal household admits the case has damaged the reputation and credibility of Spain's royals, and, partly because of this scandal, the popularity of King Juan Carlos has fallen in recent years.
Source:BBC