A Spanish judge says he will wrap up a corruption probe into King Felipe VI's sister Princess Cristina and her husband Inaki Urdangarin on Wednesday, opening up the prospect of a historic criminal trial.

Less than a week after 46-year-old Felipe VI took the crown from his father Juan Carlos promising an "honest and transparent" monarchy, the judge's decision threatens to put damaging royal corruption allegations back in the headlines.

Brazil defender Dani Alves said Saturday Spain's premature World Cup exit was a lesson for teams as to how difficult it is to achieve success at the highest level.

Crushing losses to Holland and Chile left Spain suffering one of the earliest ever exit by defending champions and Alves told reporters that as a Barcelona player he felt for Vicente del Bosque's men.

The new king and queen of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, carried out their first official function on Saturday, meeting "victims of terrorist violence".

In somber dress -- the queen in white, the king with a blue tie -- the new monarchs spent an hour with representatives of around 20 victims' groups in the Zurbano Palace in Madrid.

Spain's new King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will visit Pope Francis at the Vatican on their first foreign trip as monarchs, the government said Friday a day after they took the throne.

Felipe, 46, a tall former Olympic yachtsman, and the elegant 41-year-old Letizia were proclaimed king and queen Thursday in a relatively modest ceremony to which no foreign leaders or royals were invited.

Brazil's Julio Cesar on Thursday jumped to the defense of fellow goalkeeper Iker Casillas, after the Spain captain was heavily criticized for his part in the World Cup holders' shock early exit.

A Spain side whose recent successes were built from their solid defense have crumbled at this World Cup, losing to both the Netherlands and Chile and conceding seven goals in the process, some of which were blamed on Casillas.

Spanish politicians said Friday they are rushing to pass new legal protections for ex-king Juan Carlos to replace his lost royal immunity, which has shielded him from two paternity suits.

Juan Carlos, 76, lost his immunity from prosecution when he handed over the throne this week to his son, the new King Felipe, after a 39-year reign.

Customers barely glanced at the television in a bar in central Catalonia as Spain's new King Felipe VI, in military regalia, took the throne alongside his glamorous wife Letizia.

The few clients at the Casal bar in the town of Cervera read newspapers, pored over laptops or debated the local economy as a television presenter gushed over live images of the first royal succession of the post-Franco era.

Defending champions Spain slumped into mourning over their disastrous World Cup exit on Thursday ahead of a clash between England and Uruguay that could see another famous name fatally wounded.

A picture of midfielder Andres Iniesta, his head in his hands after the 2-0 defeat by Chile, symbolized the end of a golden run in which Spain won the World Cup and two straight European Championships.

As Spain's glamorous new queen, 41-year-old Letizia will surrender a tiny corner of privacy that had allowed her to sneak out with friends to cafes, plays and rock concerts.

The elegant royal's secretive mingling with the public, often with a few girlfriends and in non-regal attire, has provided rich fodder for the Spanish gossip media.

Spain's new King Felipe VI swore to serve the crisis-stricken nation as he launched his reign on Thursday, sparking celebrations by flag-waving revelers in the streets.

Thousands of Spaniards put aside their World Cup misery to line the streets, yelling "Long live Spain! Long live the king!" as the tall, 46-year-old former Olympic yachtsman stepped out of a black Rolls Royce in military uniform before entering parliament.