Felipe & Letizia in Security Incident at Miami Airport: April 2004

[Dennism]

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.”

 

[ravenprincess]

Maybe it's me, but I don't see whatthe big deal is, Felipe and Letizia want to be one with the people, they should be willing to go through the small inconviences everyday people have to go through. Espcially with the state of terrorism in the world, I would think now more than ever they would be a bit more sympathetic to the measures the FAA goes through to make EVERYONE safe...


I personally think this was a case of a royal brat attack



Just my two cents.....raven

 

[Ennyllorac]

I agree with Raven. They have come across as Royal Brats.

 

[montecarlo]

Why should they get special treatment in America? It's not like they're the future Crown Prince and Princess of America.

It reminds me of Victoria and David Beckham. Last year, when they came to America, their security forces closed off an entire street and a store. So, they (the Beckhams) could have "privacy" whilst shopping. But what lack of privacy would they have? They are not even famous in America. I think they were just trying to draw some attention to themselves. Which is really pathetic.

 

[Dennism]

The thing with the Beckhams is that they complained when they returned home that they did not like it when they were out on the street and nobody recognized them. They found it strange and they seemed to be not happy about that.

 

[montecarlo]

When the Beckhams are in Europe, they complain about having too much attention. But when they are in America, the complain about not having enough attention? That makes no sense.

 

[Dennism]

And I think that situation you mentioned before was at a shoe store. It was really dumb because it was a place that a lot of celebrities go and shop and they have no problems but they requested that the place be emptied.

 

[Lyonnaise]

This entire security screening fiasco amuses me. I worked for customs and when Prince Albert of Monaco was flying in we offered to give him the "special treatment" that royalty/statesment usually get. (His pilot did notify us well ahead of time that he was coming in). The prince, guests and pilots turned that down and went through the normal customs procedures as any other pilot/passenger coming into the country would have done.

 

[Alexandria]

Originally posted by Lyonnaise@Apr 11th, 2004 - 2:19 pm
This entire security screening fiasco amuses me. I worked for customs and when Prince Albert of Monaco was flying in we offered to give him the "special treatment" that royalty/statesment usually get. (His pilot did notify us well ahead of time that he was coming in). The prince, guests and pilots turned that down and went through the normal customs procedures as any other pilot/passenger coming into the country would have done.

Good for Prince Albert! A down to earth prince (and public person) without an inflated sense of self. ... Can someone tell me again why he isn't married yet?!

 

[paulette]

"No one's exempted from the law." I think the point here should be whether you are holding one of the highest and respected positions in a certain nation, that should not be a reason for you to be exempted from what the ordinary citizens are asked and suppose to do. I think it should be people in the higher positions who should set example firsts so that the rest will follow. How will other people react and be able to follow when it's this gov't official who implements the safety rules yet he/she is the one who is not following it at the same time. It doesnt mean that you also act like this way because you are already not in your country.
And, we do all know that diplomats, royals and etc. do receive a different treatment compared to ordinary citizens so I think they should follow the rules like informing first the officials that they would be traveling or etc and they would do this and that to avoid delay or misunderstanding.

 

[paulette]

Originally posted by Alexandria@Apr 11th, 2004 - 1:48 pm
Good for Prince Albert! A down to earth prince (and public person) without an inflated sense of self. ... Can someone tell me again why he isn't married yet?!

Well, not all royals have the same personalities but what makes the royalty world more colorful is the uniqueness of ones character that can make one distinguished from the rest.

I think Prince Albert has a girlfriend or had one but it didn't lead to an engagement. He was once even rumored to have a relationship with a sportswoman.

 

[mgrant]

Originally posted by Alexandria+Apr 11th, 2004 - 1:48 pm--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Alexandria @ Apr 11th, 2004 - 1:48 pm)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Lyonnaise@Apr 11th, 2004 - 2:19 pm
This entire security screening fiasco amuses me.  I worked for customs and when Prince Albert of Monaco was flying in we offered to give him the "special treatment" that royalty/statesment usually get.  (His pilot did notify us well ahead of time that he was coming in).  The prince, guests and pilots turned that down and went through the normal customs procedures as any other pilot/passenger coming into the country would have done.

Good for Prince Albert! A down to earth prince (and public person) without an inflated sense of self. ... Can someone tell me again why he isn't married yet?! [/b][/quote]
He's saving himself for me!

 

[lasu]

Originally posted by paulette@Apr 11th, 2004 - 3:31 pm

And, we do all know that diplomats, royals and etc. do receive a different treatment compared to ordinary citizens so I think they should follow the rules like informing first the officials that they would be traveling or etc and they would do this and that to avoid delay or misunderstanding.

Exactly. I am as ordinary as they come, but when I have travelled on official business (ie. the guest of a foreign government) I have received special treatment including being waved through customs and escorted to the front of airport check in queues. All of this is arranged in advance, as it should be. If it isn't, you risk all sorts of problems.

I can't help but comment - wouldn't it be fun to search Prince Felipe?

 

[Angel S.]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3616393.stm

this is one article however the story does change slightly depending on who you ask. I lived in Miami most of my life & I belive that the MIA officials must have messed up bad in some way. I've seen who they hire as screeners!

one report adds this: Según el Miemi Herald, una vez pasado el trago de volver a hacer las maletas, Letizia Ortiz estuvo a punto de acabar con la paciencia de la policía del aeropuerto. Tras inspeccionar cuidadosamente su bolso de mano, la prometida del Príncipe decidió ir al baño, con lo que la policía al regresar la conminó a enseñar de nuevo sus pertenencias. Esto provocó un retraso más en el ya de por sí apretado horario de la pareja, y el vuelo de Iberia tuvo que retrasarse hasta que pudieron embarcar.

It says that once they had checked Letizias hand bag she decided to go to the bathroom (apparently very upset & about to lose her patience.) Upon her return they insisted on checking it again! This caused another delay to the already delayed flight.

 

[Angel S.]

Here is the good one from the MIAMI HERALD................

County frets over prince's treatment

County officials fear that fallout from the security screening of the crown prince of Spain at Miami International Airport could equal an `international incident.'

BY LUISA YANEZ

lyanez@herald.com


Miami-Dade County Manager George Burgess on Monday issued a seven-page report detailing how the airport screening of the crown prince of Spain last week turned into a diplomatic flap that could hurt the county's image and economy.

While no single party was blamed in Burgess' memo, county officials said friction between foreign dignitaries arriving at Miami International Airport and federal Transportation Security Administration personnel must be addressed.

The memo offered a glimpse at how heated the situation became as Prince Felipe, his fiancé and entourage were screened in a private lounge before catching a flight to Madrid last Thursday:

• The prince's caretakers were so livid that the royal belongings were publicly pulled out of carry-ons that they reached out and grabbed them from the screeners.

• Spain's deputy consul in Miami became irate at a female TSA supervisor and repeatedly screamed in her face, prompting her to ask for police assistance.

• Among those who rushed over to mediate the royal mess was Miami-Dade Aviation Department's protocol chief, Irving Fourcand, who alerted top county officials about the incident.

Saying the scene is ''likely to achieve the status of an international incident,'' Burgess recommended the county work with federal security officials to see that VIPs at MIA are screened discreetly and expeditiously.

`COURTESY ESCORT'

In particular, he recommended that the county implement a courtesy escort program for diplomats in conjunction with the State Department.

He also suggested working with TSA to equip private screening locations with less intrusive walk-through metals detectors and portable X-ray devices.

''We just want to expedite the process for folks coming through MIA,'' Burgess said.

On Monday, a TSA spokeswoman reiterated agency employees did nothing inappropriate.

Without a State Department escort, the royal couple and their entourage had to undergo a security search just like everyone else.

''We owe no apology for what the public has a right to expect,'' said Lauren Stover, TSA spokeswoman in Miami. ``Under these circumstances, we were required by law to conduct proper screening procedures.

``We are unequivocably firm about the professional manner in which our screeners conducted the inspection -- with compassion, respect and humility.''

Burgess said in a phone interview that Miami-Dade ''has a unique situation'' as the primary gateway to the U.S. for foreign visitors.

Making a prince or any other VIP unhappy has ''broader implications,'' said Frank Nero, president and CEO of The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade's economic development agency.

``A situation like this doesn't help economically.''

AIRLINE THREAT

In the heat of the dispute, the local head of Iberia Airlines -- which represents $157 million and 2,000 jobs to the South Florida economy -- suggested the carrier might leave MIA due to the royal flap.

''We hope an incident like this doesn't hurt in our selling of MIA, which is vital to our community,'' Burgess said.

Mayor Alex Penelas has already sent a letter of apology to the royal family.

''The mayor is not saying the prince and his people should not go through security like everyone else, but there should be an approved protocol process in place,'' said Javier Soto, Penelas' chief of staff.

``We're supposed to make people feel welcomed.''

Thursday's incident was not the first time a dignitary has had trouble at MIA.

In October, Dame Ivy Dumont, governor-general of the Bahamas, was required to remove her shoes during security screening -- leading the Bahamian foreign ministry to register a complaint to the State Department.

Herald business writer Ina Paiva Cordle contributed to this story.

 

[Dennism]

Just in case, people missed this before the thread was closed here is an article on the findings of the "incident" at Miami.



County frets over prince's treatment

County officials fear that fallout from the security screening of the crown prince of Spain at Miami International Airport could equal an `international incident.'

BY LUISA YANEZ

lyanez@herald.com


Miami-Dade County Manager George Burgess on Monday issued a seven-page report detailing how the airport screening of the crown prince of Spain last week turned into a diplomatic flap that could hurt the county's image and economy.

While no single party was blamed in Burgess' memo, county officials said friction between foreign dignitaries arriving at Miami International Airport and federal Transportation Security Administration personnel must be addressed.

The memo offered a glimpse at how heated the situation became as Prince Felipe, his fiancé and entourage were screened in a private lounge before catching a flight to Madrid last Thursday:

• The prince's caretakers were so livid that the royal belongings were publicly pulled out of carry-ons that they reached out and grabbed them from the screeners.

• Spain's deputy consul in Miami became irate at a female TSA supervisor and repeatedly screamed in her face, prompting her to ask for police assistance.

• Among those who rushed over to mediate the royal mess was Miami-Dade Aviation Department's protocol chief, Irving Fourcand, who alerted top county officials about the incident.

Saying the scene is ''likely to achieve the status of an international incident,'' Burgess recommended the county work with federal security officials to see that VIPs at MIA are screened discreetly and expeditiously.

`COURTESY ESCORT'

In particular, he recommended that the county implement a courtesy escort program for diplomats in conjunction with the State Department.

He also suggested working with TSA to equip private screening locations with less intrusive walk-through metals detectors and portable X-ray devices.

''We just want to expedite the process for folks coming through MIA,'' Burgess said.

On Monday, a TSA spokeswoman reiterated agency employees did nothing inappropriate.

Without a State Department escort, the royal couple and their entourage had to undergo a security search just like everyone else.

''We owe no apology for what the public has a right to expect,'' said Lauren Stover, TSA spokeswoman in Miami. ``Under these circumstances, we were required by law to conduct proper screening procedures.

``We are unequivocably firm about the professional manner in which our screeners conducted the inspection -- with compassion, respect and humility.''

Burgess said in a phone interview that Miami-Dade ''has a unique situation'' as the primary gateway to the U.S. for foreign visitors.

Making a prince or any other VIP unhappy has ''broader implications,'' said Frank Nero, president and CEO of The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade's economic development agency.

``A situation like this doesn't help economically.''

AIRLINE THREAT

In the heat of the dispute, the local head of Iberia Airlines -- which represents $157 million and 2,000 jobs to the South Florida economy -- suggested the carrier might leave MIA due to the royal flap.

''We hope an incident like this doesn't hurt in our selling of MIA, which is vital to our community,'' Burgess said.

Mayor Alex Penelas has already sent a letter of apology to the royal family.

''The mayor is not saying the prince and his people should not go through security like everyone else, but there should be an approved protocol process in place,'' said Javier Soto, Penelas' chief of staff.

``We're supposed to make people feel welcomed.''

Thursday's incident was not the first time a dignitary has had trouble at MIA.

In October, Dame Ivy Dumont, governor-general of the Bahamas, was required to remove her shoes during security screening -- leading the Bahamian foreign ministry to register a complaint to the State Department.

Herald business writer Ina Paiva Cordle contributed to this story.

 

[Alisa]

''We owe no apology for what the public has a right to expect,'' said Lauren Stover, TSA spokeswoman in Miami.

Finally someone has some sense.