King Felipe posed for an official photo and suddenly, it’s got everyone interested in the state of his royal family. The King of Spain was guest of honour at the marriage of his goddaughter last weekend and when she published her wedding album, Felipe’s choice of companion got everyone talking. For Felipe was photographed with his sister, Infanta Cristina, and it’s led to questions about whether the disgraced royal is back in the fold.

On the day that Norway gave us the brand new royal wedding accessory of giant sheet, Spain had the society marriage of Victoria Lopez-Quesada and Enrique Moreno de la Cova to enjoy. The bride is the daughter of Princess Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and Pedro Lopez-Quesada, President of CitiBank in Spain. King Felipe is her godfather and Victoria was also a bridesmaid to Queen Letizia at her own royal wedding in Madrid in 2004. The guest list was always going to be stellar but Spain’s royals added their own surprise element.

There was no real shock that Infanta Cristina, second of the three children of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, was there. But the manner of her entrance and, most significantly, her inclusion in official photos next to the actual head of state was a turn up.

Cristina arrived at the wedding in the passenger seat of a car being driven by King Felipe. The two were laughing and chatting happily as they were snapped. It’s been called a powerful symbol by some parts of the Spanish royal press, underlining a new closeness with the king.

Later, the Infanta was given an important position in the official group wedding photo, sitting next to her mother, Queen Sofia. Her elder sister, Infanta Elena, sat on the other side of the group, next to the mother of the bride.

Since Cristina fell from grace, the distance between her and her brother has been a wide one. The two were once very close but after her financial affairs and those of her now ex-husband, Inaki Urdangarin, came under scrutiny and both were charged in the Noos case, the divide between Cristina and Felipe seemed to grow by the minute.

The formal investigation around Cristina into possible corruption began before Juan Carlos abdicated and was seen by some as one of the reasons for his decision to hand the throne over to Felipe in 2014. As soon as Juan Carlos stepped aside, the status of two daughters within the royal line up changed. They were now part of the new king’s family but no longer part of the official royal set up.

In 2015, Cristina lost the honorary title of Duchess of Palma she had received on her wedding day in 1997 and ended up in a rather unpleasant public spat with Felipe about whether she’d renounced it or he had removed it.

She was acquitted of tax fraud and money laundering in 2017 but Inaki Urdangarin was found guilty and went to prison.

Infanta Cristina has made few public appearances in Spain since and one moment, at a memorial service in Madrid, resulted in a frosty reception from King Felipe and Queen Letizia as they appeared to be taken by surprise at finding his sister in the chapel to pay her respects. Paths crossed again at the funeral in Athens of King Constantine II of Greece in January 2023 but a respectable distance was kept between Spain’s king and his sister. By then, Cristina was separated from her husband and they divorced late in 2023.

The parting of the ways with Urdangarin may be a factor in her apparent acceptance back into the royal fold. While there have been reports of meetings in private, this very public and very smiley appearance at a very high profile society wedding appears to mark a new turning in the ongoing family saga of the Borbons. King Felipe VI appears at ease with being seen with his sister in public once again.

Noticeably, Queen Letizia was absent from the wedding – she was in Paris to support Spain’s Paralympics team. Letizia and Cristina were said to have a difficult relationship even before allegations around the Infanta’s finances surfaced.

For now, this wedding photo has given Spain another right royal debate as the position of a once popular princess is in the spotlight again.