Mon, Apr 12, 2004
Airport Search Of Spanish Royalty Ignites International
Incident
Boy, the Spanish are not
at all happy with the TSA. Not after the next-in-line to the
Spanish throne, Prince Felipe (right), was stopped and searched
while changing planes in Miami (FL).
The Miami Herald reports Felipe, his fiancee, Spanish television
anchorwoman Leitizia Ortiz and four bodyguards were connecting from
the Bahamas through Miami to Madrid when they were stopped by the
TSA.
"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."
Stover said the six Spaniards were taken to the American
Airlines lounge at MIA and patted down by "top-notch screeners with
VIP experience."
"We don’t consider this the proper way to treat our future
king," said a Spanish government official. "It’s a breach of
protocol."
So far, there appears to have been no apology from anyone in
Washington (DC). So, Alex Pinellas, mayor of Miami-Dade, sent the
royal family his own apology.
"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.
There's no indication yet whether the Spanish consul in Miami
will file a formal complaint.
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