Felipe VI and the 40-year secret relationship: the rumour that won't die

Felipe VI and the romantic relationship attributed to him for four decades

There is an accusation that has been repeated for years and that returns from time to time with the same charge: that Felipe VI has maintained for four decades a romantic relationship known only to family and close friends. Journalist Laura Rodríguez has taken that thesis to the extreme by stating that the monarch married Letizia Ortiz to cover up his sensual orientation, a version also echoed by writer Isidre Cunill in his book and which journalist Maica Vasco summarises by saying that the marriage is, in essence, a facade.

What the accusation against Felipe VI actually says

According to the statements collected, the then prince was obliged to marry a woman to ensure the succession and continuity of the Crown, always supported by a queen consort. Laura Rodríguez maintains that Felipe VI is gai and that he has had since his youth an intimate relationship with his childhood friend Álvaro Fuster, of the Fuster brothers. Both presented themselves publicly as friends, but the statements claim that they actually maintained secret encounters and led a life parallel to the one the world knew.

The story does not stop there. Cunill describes in his book that Felipe would have met numerous women through a specialised agency run by Javier Hidalgo, which operated under precise instructions about the desired characteristics of the candidates. Among the proposals was Norwegian model Eva Sannum. Journalist Maica Vasco adds that Letizia would have accepted a series of conditions to become queen, a position that guaranteed her economic and social benefits that would otherwise have been unattainable.

Juan Carlos's concern and the succession plan

King Juan Carlos had the firm intention that his son marry a woman of royal blood, in order to consolidate ties between dynasties and strengthen the image of the Royal Household. Felipe showed a marked disinterest in the candidates his father proposed and leaned towards women without noble titles. The monarch's concern went so far that, according to these versions, the possibility of amending the Constitution was considered so that, if Felipe did not marry, Infanta Elena could assume the throne.

Cunill further suggests that Juan Carlos may have offered financial incentives to some of these women, and even have committed to paying them to establish a stable relationship with Felipe. The meeting between Felipe and Letizia would have taken place at a dinner organised by Pedro Erquicia, attended by several television women also selected by Hidalgo's agency.

Why the rumour does not hold up for much of the analysis

Scepticism is the dominant stance. It is argued that if Felipe had been gai, he would not have needed to marry a woman without royal blood: it would have been enough to accept a candidate from a royal family, already warned of the arrangement, and put on a show with her. It is also noted that no gai man would maintain a single relationship throughout his life, and that in that case many witnesses would have already spoken.

Some point out that, in today's world, such a revelation would not diminish popular support, but could reinforce it, which dismantles the logic of the cover-up. And it is recalled that the same outlet that publishes these versions has disseminated contradictory news about the same matter.

The context: a campaign against the institution

Much of the analysis places this information within an active campaign against the Royal Household. The motives considered are several: attacking the country's image, discrediting the institution, paving the way for a federal state prior to the dissolution of the country, or covering up corruption issues and the position of independence parties in certain negotiations.

It is recalled that the monarchy handed out envelopes to journalists to treat the institution well, and that the media publishing these leaks are part of the same system they claim to combat. The source spreading the accusation is, for many analysts, an outlet with a known bias and not an independent investigation.

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Four decades of a secret relationship, an agency that selected candidates, a dinner with television women and a constitutional amendment that was considered. All that fits into the version that has been spread. What does not fit, for now, is a single piece of evidence. How many more times will the rumour have to be repeated before someone bothers to prove it?