The ex-king of Spain , Juan Carlos , was leading a double life and having an affair with a German aristocrat for the last ten years of his reign , according to a new book that claims they were ' a couple , pure and simple ' . The bombshell allegation is that Juan Carlos was romancing Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and was so smitten with her that he even contemplated divorcing his wife , Sofia , according to Final De Partida – or End Game – by Ana Romero , which sold out within 24 hours . Romero , a former royal correspondent for the El Mundo daily , said at the book 's launch in Madrid : 'What do you see ( in the book ) ? Well , the double life which Juan Carlos led during a long time , a double life which obviously has not gone well . ' Scroll down for video . The former King Juan Carlos greets Corinna Sayn-Wittgenstein in at an awards ceremony in Barcelona in May 2006 : A new book claims that they have been lovers for a decade . Glamorous : The aristocrat is 27 years younger than the former Spanish king . Their affair is said to have ended in 2014 . The author 's claims are based on 100 interviews with anonymous sources . She said that the affair ended in 2014 when Juan Carlos abdicated in favour of his son , Felipe . He married former Queen Sofia in 1962 and became king in 1975 . Romero added : ' [ Final De Partida ] is a chronicle of the end of an era , when Spaniards turned their backs on Juan Carlos . The first print run of 25,000 copies nearly sold out on Wednesday less than 24 hours since the book hit stores and its publishers have already ordered a second print run . The 77-year-old former king 's friendship with Sayn-Wittgenstein , 50 , who is divorced from the German prince whose name she bears , emerged in 2012 when Juan Carlos was flown home from Botswana on a private jet after suffering an injury while on an expensive elephant-hunting holiday . Juan Carlos , pictured here with Queen Sofia in May 2014 , was said to be so smitten with Sayn-Wittgenstein that he considered a divorce . The German woman , who is 27 years younger than Juan Carlos , was among those accompanying the monarch on the trip , which sparked outrage at a time when Spain was grappling with record unemployment and risked needing an international bailout . Juan Carlos , who won respect for his role in guiding Spain 's transition to democracy after the death of longtime dictator General Francisco Franco in 1975 , made an unprecedented apology for his behaviour but his popularity took a serious hit . Romero said the uproar over the hunting trip , combined with a string of health problems and a corruption scandal implicating his youngest daughter Cristina , created the 'perfect storm ' which pushed Juan Carlos to abdicate . Sayn-Wittgenstein was born a Danish national in 1964 in Frankfurt , Germany to parents Finn Bönning Larsen and Ingrid Sauer . She has been married twice , in 1989 to English businessman Philip Adkins , with whom he had a daughter , and in 2000 to Prince Casimir zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn , having ended her first marriage in 1995 . She had a son with the prince in 2000 , but they divorced in 2005 , though she carried on using her married name . Currently residing in Monaco , Sayn-Wittgenstein was asked by the prince of the microstate to help bring in business . She used to be the director of Apollonia Associates , a company that connects 'people , platforms and organisations to create sustainable value ' . Final De Partida , by Ana Romero ( right ) , sold out within 24 hours of being published .
Book claims Juan Carlos was romancing Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein . Final De Partida - or End Game - by Ana Romero , sold out within 24 hours . The book is a collection of essays and interviews with the likes of Noam Chomsky, Daniel Ellsberg, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, John Pilger, Naomi Klein,