Dennism
Majesty
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2003
- Messages
- 6,408
- City
- East of the sun and west of the moon
- Country
- United States
A routine security check at Miami International Airport turned into a diplomatic flap when the unhappy subjects turned out to be the future king of Spain and his fiancee.
The couple and four bodyguards were connecting on to a commercial jet in Miami after arriving from the Bahamas in a chartered plane, The Miami Herald reported today.
But before boarding their Iberia Airlines flight to Madrid on Thursday, Crown Prince Felipe, Spanish television anchorwoman Leitizia Ortiz and their entourage had to pass through a security check.
“The prince and his bodyguard felt they should not be subjected to the screening, but if they do not have an escort from the State Department or the Secret Service, it is required,” said Transportation and Security Administration spokeswoman Lauren Stover. “It’s the law.”
The couple, who had only given six hours’ notice instead of the standard 72, were taken to an American Airlines lounge, where they were searched by three “top-notch screeners with VIP experience”, Stover said.
The same day, Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas sent the royal family a letter of apology about what he called a ”lamentable situation”.
“The facts I have received thus far indicate an apparent disregard for protocol and disrespect of His Highness and his delegation. ... I have called upon our County Manager to conduct a complete investigation into this matter,” he wrote.
A Spanish consular official in Miami said it would be Consul General Javier Vallaure’s decision whether to file a complaint.
“We don’t consider this the proper way to treat our future king,” the official said. “It’s a breach of protocol.”
The couple and four bodyguards were connecting on to a commercial jet in Miami after arriving from the Bahamas in a chartered plane, The Miami Herald reported today.
But before boarding their Iberia Airlines flight to Madrid on Thursday, Crown Prince Felipe, Spanish television anchorwoman Leitizia Ortiz and their entourage had to pass through a security check.
“The prince and his bodyguard felt they should not be subjected to the screening, but if they do not have an escort from the State Department or the Secret Service, it is required,” said Transportation and Security Administration spokeswoman Lauren Stover. “It’s the law.”
The couple, who had only given six hours’ notice instead of the standard 72, were taken to an American Airlines lounge, where they were searched by three “top-notch screeners with VIP experience”, Stover said.
The same day, Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas sent the royal family a letter of apology about what he called a ”lamentable situation”.
“The facts I have received thus far indicate an apparent disregard for protocol and disrespect of His Highness and his delegation. ... I have called upon our County Manager to conduct a complete investigation into this matter,” he wrote.
A Spanish consular official in Miami said it would be Consul General Javier Vallaure’s decision whether to file a complaint.
“We don’t consider this the proper way to treat our future king,” the official said. “It’s a breach of protocol.”