Madrid ( CNN ) Spain 's former King Juan Carlos , 77 , will face a paternity lawsuit -- by a Belgian woman alleging that he 's her father -- before the nation 's Supreme Court , a 12-judge panel ruled Wednesday . The court accepted the case for study , two court spokeswomen told CNN . The royal household affirmed its `` respect '' for judicial decisions but declined further comment . The plaintiff is Ingrid Sartiau , 48 , who lives near Brussels . Sartiau alleges that her mother and the married Juan Carlos had a relationship in late 1965 , and she was born , as a result , in August 1966 , said her attorney , Jaume Pararols . He became Spain 's King and head of state in 1975 after the death of the dictator Francisco Franco . Juan Carlos abdicated in June in favor of his son , King Felipe VI , who was born in 1968 . While the court agreed to take Sartiau 's claim for study , it rejected a separate paternity suit against the former King brought by a Spanish man . For a paternity claim to be accepted , a petitioner must submit documentation , such as a photo or a letter , offering evidence of a relationship that involved Juan Carlos , the court spokeswomen said . Sartiau 's mother is alive and willing to testify , the lawyer , Pararols , told CNN by phone from his office in a town north of Barcelona . `` We would like to reach a settlement . My client never wanted it to get to this point , '' Pararols said . The plaintiff has asked the court to require a DNA test for the former King , who has 20 days to make an initial response to the lawsuit . Juan Carlos no longer has immunity from prosecution , but he has protection that permits cases against him to be heard only by the Supreme Court , which is Spain 's second highest , after the Constitutional Court .
A court will study a paternity lawsuit filed against the former King of Spain . A woman from Belgium alleges Juan Carlos had a relationship with her mother .