Spain's Princess Cristina was indicted on tax fraud charges Monday — a severe setback to efforts by her brother King Felipe to rid the royalty of image problems after his scandal-plagued father abdicated in June.
Cristina is the first royal family member in the country ordered to stand trial since the monarchy was restored in 1975.
Judge Jose Castro has spent four years investigating Cristina's husband on charges ranging from money laundering to fraud. He went against a prosecutor's recommendation earlier in December that the 49-year-old Cristina should face only fines and ordered a trial that could see her get prison time of up to four years if found guilty.
Her Olympic handball medalist turned businessman husband, Inaki Urdangarin, faces additional charges punishable by up to 19 years jail time.
Castro's decision sets the stage for a royal trial late next year, just as Spain is expected to see heavy campaigning in national elections that must be called by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy by the end of next year.
After his coronation in June, Felipe pledged to restore public trust in the monarchy. He ordered a palace reshuffle, meaning that Cristina and her sister, Princess Elena, are no longer official members of the royal family. He has also limited gifts that royal household members and employees are allowed to accept and subjected the household's account to external audits that are made public.
China charges Jackie Chan's son
Chinese prosecutors on Monday indicted the son of Hong Kong action film star Jackie Chan on the charge of sheltering others to use drugs, more than four months after he was detained. If convicted, singer-actor Jaycee Chan could be jailed for up to three years. Chan, 32, was among a string of celebrities detained over the summer for such vices as drug use and hiring prostitutes, as Beijing vowed to clean up social morals. Chan's case has been particularly embarrassing for his more famous father, who was named by Beijing as an anti-drug ambassador in 2009.
exit stage: British actress Billie Whitelaw, who collaborated closely with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett and appeared on stage and screen for decades, died Sunday in a London nursing home at 82. Whitelaw was well known for her roles in a number of films, including "The Omen" and most recently "Hot Fuzz," and for her regular work with Beckett, who once described her as the "perfect actress." Their association began with her appearance in Beckett's "Play" in 1964.
