---
type: figure_profile
lang: en
subtype: figure
canonical: https://www.politicaelectoral.com/en/spain/public-figures/inaki-urdangarin
name: Iñaki Urdangarin Liebaert
updated_at: 2026-05-03T18:35:38
data_crc: cca50002
---

Iñaki Urdangarin Liebaert is a former Spanish handball player and a public figure known for his marriage into the royal family and his conviction in the Nóos case. Born in 1968, he became a prominent sportsman before becoming the subject of major public and judicial scrutiny in Spain.

## Professional career

Iñaki Urdangarin Liebaert was born in 1968. He first became known as an elite **handball** player, representing the Spanish national team and building a successful sporting career. He won medals with Spain at international level and also achieved success in club competition, which made him one of the best-known Spanish athletes of his generation.

His public profile changed further when he married **Infanta Cristina**, daughter of King Juan Carlos I, becoming the king emeritus’s son-in-law. Through that marriage, he was granted the title **Duke of Palma**, a title he later lost.

In 2015, he was stripped of the title **Duke of Palma**. This was one of the most visible formal consequences of the legal and political controversy surrounding his name. Later, his sporting identity was eclipsed in public debate by his role in the **Nóos case**.

## Public relevance and open cases

Urdangarin has appeared in Spanish public debate since his years as an international athlete, and much more intensely since the early 2010s, when he became linked to the **Nóos case**. The case concerned alleged financial irregularities connected to the Nóos Institute, an entity that came under judicial scrutiny in relation to contracts and public money.

He was investigated and later tried in relation to that case. In such proceedings, the presumption of innocence applies until a final judicial decision is reached.

There is also a **final conviction** in the case. Urdangarin was convicted in the **Nóos case** by the Spanish courts to **5 years and 10 months in prison** for **tax offences and misconduct in office**. The conviction made him one of the most prominent members of the Spanish royal family’s wider circle to be sentenced in a corruption-related case.

Because of this legal history, his name continues to surface in discussions about institutional ethics, the monarchy’s public image, and the handling of corruption cases in Spain. His current public relevance is therefore tied less to sport than to the lasting political and judicial significance of the Nóos affair.

## Frequently asked questions

**Who is Iñaki Urdangarin?** He is a former Spanish handball champion and public figure, best known as the former husband of Infanta Cristina and as the son-in-law of King Juan Carlos I.

**Why is Iñaki Urdangarin famous in Spain?** He first became known for his sporting career, but he later became widely discussed because of his marriage into the royal family and his conviction in the Nóos case.

**Was Iñaki Urdangarin convicted?** Yes. He was finally convicted in the Nóos case and sentenced to **5 years and 10 months in prison** for **tax crimes and misconduct in office**.

**What was the Nóos case?** It was a major corruption-related judicial case in Spain involving alleged misuse of public funds and irregular business dealings linked to the Nóos Institute.

**Does he still hold the title Duke of Palma?** No. He was stripped of the title **Duke of Palma** in 2015.