Charged with treason and tyranny against his own people, Charles famously argued that no court had authority over a reigning monarch. The court rejected his claim. He was convicted and executed later that month at the Banqueting House in Whitehall, marking an unprecedented moment in British history.
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots, was tried in 1586 after being implicated in the Babington Plot, a conspiracy aimed at assassinating Queen Elizabeth I and placing Mary on the English throne.
Mary denied involvement and argued that she had been denied legal counsel and was not subject to English law. Nevertheless, she was found guilty and executed in 1587. Her trial remains one of the most debated legal proceedings in royal history.
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Legal scrutiny has not been limited to British royalty. In 2020, Spain’s former King Juan Carlos I became the subject of financial investigations related to alleged irregularities surrounding a high-speed rail contract between Saudi Arabia and a Spanish consortium.