Queen Letizia of Spain's ex brother-in-law doubles down on his claims

The Queen of Spain's former brother-in-law has repeated his sensational claims that he had a relationship with Letizia before and after her 2004 wedding to King Felipe.

Jaime Del Burgo, 53, who is based in the UK, contributed to a tell-all book last month about the royal mother-of-two, in which he said he and Letizia were partners before he married her younger sibling Telma Ortiz, who he is now separated from.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, on December 26, he stood by his astonishing claims by reposting an undated selfie the Spanish Queen, 51, took in a bathroom mirror during one of her pregnancies as 'evidence' of their relationship.

He also reposted a message, 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.'

The photograph of the royal in the black pashmina and the note were originally shared by the entrepreneur earlier this month before he deleted them.

In one of his latest posts, he explained why he removed his initial social media messages, writing: 'In a few hours, the famous photo of the pashmina was viewed by 24 million people and the SMS that Letizia sent me with it.

He added: 'It was a mistake to delete my posts. That's why today I wanted to recover the most important ones.' 

On Boxing Day, Jaime shared with his 23,000 followers the 'four stages of the relationship' with Letizia.

In his claim, he lists them as: '1) Love relationship, from 2002 to 2004; 2) Friends and confidants, from 2004 to 2010; 3) Long-lasting and continuous loving relationship, 2010 and 2011; 4) As brothers-in-law, from 2012 to 2016. 

'It is the third relationship that ends abruptly after two years, a few months after Letizia's resignation as Princess of Asturias, divorce from Felipe and establishment as a couple in New York, which was what we had planned.' 

In another post, Jaime shared details of a weekend he claimed happened in July 2010, in which he says Letizia told him she loved him while at the Palace, lying in the same hammock.

He wrote: 'That moment, in the hammock, was one of those in which life takes a turn. That same night our love relationship continued, interrupted years before, because love had always been there since our first trip to Venice in 2002. 

'We travelled to Cape Verde, to Greece on a cruise, to the United States, to the countryside in England, to Provence in France, until the end of 2014. She came to London, I came to Madrid. 

'For a year and a half we thought and took steps forward with the goal of being free, we dealt with the issue of divorce, girls, we sought legal advice, we looked together at a house in Florida...

'We consider New York as the best option for permanent residence, the idea that we would have our child by surrogate in Los Angeles was proposed to me.'

Jaime also claimed in the same post that he questioned the Spanish Queen about a kiss she shared with the King that appeared in the press.

TIMELINE OF JAIME'S CLAIMS ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH SPAIN'S ROYAL FAMILY

• Pre-2000 - Letizia Ortiz, who was a newsreader at the time, meets Jaime del Burgo - the son of a politician - and the pair start dating
• 2001 - Letizia and King Felipe meet on the site of a oil spillage. Jaime claims he was planning to propose when she told him about her new royal romance
• 2003 - Letizia and Felipe announce engagement. 
• 2004 - the couple marry at Almudena Cathedral in Madrid. Jaime claims he was asked to be a witness during the ceremony
• 2005 - the couple welcome Princess Leonor
• February 2007 - Letizia's sister Erika suddenly passes away 
• April 2007 - Princess Sofia is born. During one of her pregnancies, Jaime claims Letizia sends him a selfie confessing her love.
• 2010 - the couple reportedly profess their love for one another and allegedly meet with lawyers. Jaime claims they looked at properties in the US to move to. He also claims Letizia suggested they use a surrogate in LA to have a baby
• 2011 - Jaime claims Letizia ends their relationship over the phone
• 2012 - Jaime marries Letizia's sister Telma. The couple relocate to New York
• 2014 - Telma and Jaime announce their separation  

'"What is this?” I asked her. “I had to do it to protect us.” And I believed her,' he claimed.

In another post, he claimed the media 'have offered me money to speak', saying: 'I have responded with my silence: go to hell.'

Jaime - who claims he was dating Letizia when she met King Felipe - continued: 'Resentment? I am not able to feel it. I don't hate either. I don't remember hating anyone throughout my life. If you let them in, you will never be happy.' 

He added: 'I think what I need is to let go of some ballast, put an end to a long chapter and draw conclusions that help us improve. And to do this you have to report your own and other people's mistakes. Because you learn from mistakes.'

Jaime also repeated his criticism of the Spanish Royal Family and Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist Prime Minister of Spain.

He wrote: 'Letizia plays on the left (she is, at heart, anti-monarchist, anti-Catholic, communist, etc), she always has been and I have loved her the same because of her political tendencies.'

The entrepreneur added of the Spanish King and Queen: 'Both are only interested in one thing, like Juan Carlos, like anyone else: maintaining the crown that the French gave them three hundred years ago in 2024 and the privileges that come with it. 

'Only by living within the walls of the palace can one realize the absolute power that the institution exercises and the fanaticism that it generates around it. 

'The crown belongs to the Spanish people, it is not the property of a family, Franco gave it to the Bourbons, he is the origin of its legitimacy.'

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

Before Christmas, Jaime cryptically insisted that 'the truth will come out' in a social media post.

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, Jaime 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.

Jaime 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.

But after sharing the selfie, other X users questioned the validity of Jaime's claims - given there is no evidence that Letizia sent him the photo or accompanying message.

Jaime's original posts 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 Jaime 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 Jaime: '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.

Jaime divorced Telma Ortiz by mutual consent in 2016 four years after they married and two years after they split up.

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, Jaime married 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.

READ MORE: Queen Letizia of Spain continues to shrug off former brother-in-law's 'affair' claims as she makes an elegant appearance at a drugs foundation meeting in Madrid

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, Jaime described how Letizia was like a 'fox in a chicken coop' as she was 'cleverer than any of them'. 

Jaime - 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 Jaime 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 Jaime makes is that Queen Letizia suggested they have a child together using a surrogate in Los Angeles.

Around this time, Jaime 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.

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, Jaime 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.

Before she met Felipe of Spain, former journalist 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.