The trial for Spain’s Princess Cristina de Borbón and her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, who are accused of tax fraud and embezzlement, began on Monday.
The Associated Press reported that the couple did not speak to reporters when they arrived at court and sat quietly as a judge read the charges for them and more than a dozen other defendants.
The princess faces two counts of tax fraud for allegedly not declaring a portion of her taxes and Urdangarin is accused of embezzling 6.2 million euros ($6.8 million) from false contracts that were never fulfilled. Cristina is facing eight years in prison and her husband is facing a 19-year sentence.
King Felipe VI is the sibling of the princess who is currently sixth in line for the Spanish throne.
The royal family has had its share of legalities in the past and as the Wall Street Journal noted, experts believe no convictions would be bad for the king.
“People are expecting convictions,” said retired judge Elpidio Silva. “The best-case, and the most likely, scenario is one with short-term convictions so that the princess doesn’t have to go to jail. The damage against the monarchy is already done, now it’s all about seeing how this can be minimized.”