Spanish royal Inaki Urdangarin in corruption probe

Inaki Urdangarin, the son-in-law of Spain's King Juan Carlos (Reuters)

The son-in-law of Spain's King Juan Carlos has been summoned to appear before a judge as a suspect in a corruption case.

The case surrounding Inaki Urdangarin, husband of the king's daughter Cristina, has been front-page news for weeks and a public relations nightmare for the royal family, coming at a time of acute economic crisis in Spain.

But the situation worsened today when Judge Jose Castro on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca named Urdangarin as a formal suspect in a criminal probe.

The Balearic Islands Superior Court of Justice said Urdangarin is to testify on 6 February in Palma, the capital.

Urdangarin is suspected of siphoning money from public contracts awarded from 2004 to 2006 to a non-profit foundation he headed.