Spanish King hints at son-in-law’s shady dealings in xmas speech

The Duke of Palma, Iñaki Urdangarín the husband of the Infanta Cristina of Spain, is becoming increasingly ostracized by his in-laws.

The cause of his gradual marginalization from royal engagements is the recent scandal surrounding his time as head of a non-profit sports organization.

Urdangarín, a formerly successful handball player from the Basque town of Zumarraga, stands accused of siphoning public money away from the Noos Institute to fund his own private firms. He was president of the institute between 2004 and 2005.

Head of State and head of the royal household, King Juan Carlos I has taken a tough stance with his son-in-law, excluding him from public events and insisting he be treated like an ordinary citizen with regards to the law.

In his Christmas speech on Saturday, the King made an indirect but obvious reference to the case stressing that "censurable conduct must be penalized."

The King was clearly eager to safeguard his family’s standing in the public eye, adding that he was "enormously concerned"about the "mistrust" among public opinion regarding "the credibility and prestige of some of our institutions," 'El Pais' reported on Sunday in their English-language website.

"All of us," he added, "above all those with public responsibilities, have an obligation to comply with adequate, exemplary behaviour."