SPAIN'S CROWN PRINCE IN SNIT AT MIA (MIAMI INTERNATIONAL)

Miami Herald ^ | Apr. 10, 2004 | Luisa Yanez,Ina Paiva Cordle

[JesseHousman]

An international incident is touched off when Miami airport screeners insist on examining the luggage of the successor to the Spanish throne and his entourage.

Crown Prince Felipe of Spain and his fiancée pitched a royal fit at Miami International Airport Thursday night, when screeners insisted on searching the future king's luggage -- just as they would any Average Joe's.

Members of the prince's entourage called the required inspection of their private belongings an ''insult'' and ''humiliating'' -- sparking a diplomatic flap that has the United States and Spain on the brink of a protocol war.

Crowning it off, Iberia Airlines, the prince's carrier of choice, is suggesting it might pull out of the airport, according to two sources close to the international incident.

Now, Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas has sent the Prince of Asturias, next in line for the throne, an apology, saying he's asked for an investigation into what went wrong.

Thursday's diplomatic dust-up occurred when the tall, blue-eyed, 36-year-old Prince Felipe de Borbón and his beautiful bride-to-be, Letizia Ortiz, 31, a well-known TV newscaster, flew into MIA to catch a connecting flight home.

The couple and four bodyguards landed at MIA around 5 p.m. on a private chartered jet from Nassau. They were booked on a 6 p.m. Iberia Airlines flight to Madrid.

Whether the prince gave U.S. diplomatic officials enough notice of his arrival is at the heart of the problem.

The U.S. State Department requires 72 hours notice to arrange for expedited security screening in a private area. The prince's people called with six hours notice.

When members of the royal party were told that they and their carry-ons would have to be searched -- just like the masses -- the royal flap erupted.

''We're your allies!'' one member of the royal delegation shouted in Spanish to inspectors at a particularly tense moment.

But according to Lauren Stover, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration in Miami, the screeners were only doing their jobs. The mandates of the Department of Homeland Security following Sept. 11 require that all commercial airline passengers be screened -- even the princely ones.

''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,'' Stover said. ``It's the law.''

To accommodate blue-blooded sensibilities, the TSA gave the group a choice of a quick public screening or a slower but private one away from commoners. The royal entourage chose a private screening and the group was taken to an American Airlines' lounge.

Stover said three ''top-notch screeners with VIP experience'' and two supervisors rushed to the lounge to conduct the search.

The need by the princess-to-be to go the powder room caused another flare-up. Ortiz was told her already-searched purse would be searched again on her return from the nonsecure area. She decided to hold it.

That sparked more angry words and exchanges, delaying the process and making the entire royal party late for the flight, which waited.

At one point, Milton Oribe, Iberia's station manager, said he would ignore the required screening, come what may, witnesses said.

Oribe also offered to vouch for the prince and his entourage, adding that he would see to it that the Spanish carrier withdrew from MIA, according to witnesses on the scene.

Mayor Penelas, calling the brouhaha a ''lamentable situation,'' immediately sent a letter of apology to the the royal family and pointed out those doing the screening were federal employees.

''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,'' Penelas wrote in a letter dated Thursday.

An official of the Spanish Consulate in Miami said Friday that it will be up to Consul General Javier Vallaure to decide whether a complaint will be sent to the U.S. State Department.

''We don't consider this the proper way to treat our future king; it's a breach of protocol,'' said the consular official, who would not give his name.

Said Stover: ``Had anything happened on that flight to the prince or anyone on that aircraft because we decided to relax our screening processes, that would have been catastrophic and a complete failure on our part.''

[Diogenesis]

As for the rest of this flap, I have 2 words..
Diplomatic Immunity..

DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY ENDANGERS THE USA

---

1968 Robert Kennedy assassinated
1972 Munich Olympics Sep-5,1972 (Black September)
1976 Entebbe Hostage Crisis, June 27, 1976
1979 Iran Hostage Crisis, Nov. 4, 1979 444 days
1979 Grand Mosque Seizure, Nov 20,1979
1981 Assassination of Egyptian President, Oct 6,1981
1982 Assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister, Sept 14, 1982
1983 Bombing of US Embassy in Beirut6, April 18,1983
1983 Bombing of Maring Barricks, Beruit, Oct 23,1983
1984 Hizballah Restaurant Bombing, April 12,1984
1985 Egyptian Airliner Hijacking, Nov 23,1985
1985 Rome Airport murders
1985 TWA Flight 847 hijacked, U.S. Navy diver murdered
1985 Achille Lauro hijacking, Homacidal maniac lived in saddams Iraq
1986 Aircraft Bombing in Greece, March 30, 1986
1988 Pan Am 747 Flight 103 Bombing, Lockerbie, 100's murdered
1988 Berlin Discoteque Bombing, Dec 21,1988
1992 Bombing in Israeli Embassy in Argentina, March 17,1992
1993 Attempted Assassination of Pres. Bush Sr., April 14,1993
1993 First World Trade Center bombing, February 26th, 7 Killed, Hundreds injured, Billions
1994 Air France Hijacking, Dec 24,1994
1995 Attack on US Diplomats in Pakistan, Mar 8,1995
1995 Saudi Military Installation Attack, Nov 13, 1995
1995 Kashmiri Hostage taking, July 4,1995
1996 Khobar Towers attack
1996 Sudanese Missionarys Kidnapping, Aug 17,1996
1996 Paris Subway Explosion, Dec 3,1996
1997 Israeli Shopping Mall Bombing, Sept 4, 1997
1997 Yemeni Kidnappings, Oct 30,1997
1998 Somali Hostage taking crisis, April 15,1998
1998 U.S. Embassy Bombing in Peru, Jan 15, 1998
1998 U.S. Kenya Embassy blown up, 100's murdered
1998 U.S. Tanzania Embassy blown up, 100's murdered
1999 Plot to blow up Space Needle (thwarted)
2000 USS Cole attacked, many U.S. Navy sailors murdered
2000-2003 Intifada against Israel - 100's dead and injured
2000 Manila Bombing, Dec 30,2000
2001 4 Commercial airliners hijacked, 250+ murdered
2001 World Trade Center attacked, 2800+ murdered
2001 Flight 93 murders
2001 Pentagon attacked, 180+ murdered
2002 Reporter Daniel Pearl, kidnapped and murdered
2002 Philippines American missionary, Filipino nurse killed
2002 July 4, El Al attack Los Angeles LAX, several murdered
2002 Bali bombing - 200 dead, 300 injured
2002 Yemen, French Oil Tanker attacked
2002 Marines attacked / murdered in Kuwait
2002 Washington D.C. sniper
2002 Russian Theater attacked, 100+ dead
2002 Nigerian riots against Miss World Pageant, 200 dead, dozens injured
2002 Mombasa Hotel Attacked, 12 dead, dozens injured
2002 Israeli Boeing 757 attacked by missiles, fortunately no one injured
2002 August Hotel bombing in Jakarta, Indonesia. 12 dead, dozens injured.
2003 Rusian concert bombing
2003 Phillipines airport and market bombing
2003 Foiled SAM plot in the USA
2003 UN Baghdad HQ Bombing
on and on and on and on it goes .........

[JesseHousman]

Then you'd know where I live and I'm in a witness protection program.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

LOL!!! Oh gosh. I'm sorry. But didn't I see you at the RibaSmith Supermercado in Panama City last week?

[JesseHousman]

¡Silicio! Ése era yo. I'm le sorprendió que me reconoció con mi sombrero encendido.

[RGSpincich]

There needs to be a more sophisticated method of screening than what what has been edicted and then employed by these vapidly stupid TSA employees.

Another expert at hyping a problem.

While offering no specific technological answers to effect the vague and grandiose solution you offer of a "more sophisticated method".

[Drammach]

What exactly does the Crown Prince of Spain do, anyway? Why do they even have one?

Tell me? What does Prince Charles of England do?

It is Europe.. They have a history of Monarchy..
You don't like it? Tough.. It's their country, a sovereign nation, and not liable to the laws of the United States..

Country * Monarch * Type of monarchy
Bahrain* Sheik Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa*Constitutional
Belgium* King Albert II * Constitutional
Bhutan* King Jigme Singye Wangchuck * Constitutional
Brunei* Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah* Constitutional
Cambodia*King Norodom Sihanouk* Constitutional
Denmark * Queen Margrethe II* Constitutional
Japan* Emperor Akihito * Constitutional
Jordan* King Abdullah II* Constitutional
Kuwait*Sheik Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah* Constitutional
Lesotho*King Letsie III*Constitutional
Liechtenstein*Prince Hans Adam II*Constitutional
Luxembourg* Grand Duke Henri* Constitutional
Malaysia* King Syed Sirajuddin* Constitutional
Monaco* Prince Rainier III* Constitutional
Morocco* King Muhammad VI* Constitutional
Nepal* King Gyandendra* Constitutional
Netherlands* Queen Beatrix* Constitutional
Norway* King Harald V* Constitutional
Oman* Sultan Qabus ibn Sa'id* Absolute
Qatar* Emir Sheik Hamad ibn Khalifa al-Thani* Traditional
Samoa *Malietoa Tanumafili II* Constitutional
Saudi Arabia* King Fahd bin 'Abdulaziz *Absolute
Spain* King Juan Carlos I* Parliamentary
Swaziland* King Mswati III* Absolute
Sweden* King Carl XVI Gustaf* Constitutional
Thailand* King Bhumibol Adulyadej* Constitutional
Tonga* King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV* Constitutional
United Kingdom* Queen Elizabeth II(1)* Constitutional(2)
(1.) Queen Elizabeth II is also the Sovereign of 15 countries in the Commonwealth of Nations: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.
(2.) Also parliamentary democracy.

[battousai]

There needs to be a more sophisticated method of screening than what what has been edicted and then employed by these vapidly stupid TSA employees.

Well I just saw something on discovery that uses very low levels of radiation to look just beneath clothing but no penetrate skin, kind of like those x-ray vision glasses that were always advertised in comics, looked pretty cool. They were working on some kind of mask over the image to protect privacy so that only questionable items showed up but not other embarrassing details.

The scan of a test subject with a gun and a ceramic knife showed both clearly through his clothes, you could also make out his Y fronts, which was the problem they are addressing ;-)

[bert]

A Saudi Prince is a Prince; A Spanish Prince is a Pretender.

[Drammach]

I refer you to post #67... Same applies..

Suddenly, you blame the woes of the world AND 9-11 on Diplomatic Immunity?

You have been with FR long enough to know better..
Shape up.. You're Losing It...

[El Conservador]

Yes, I have nice memories of my trip to Colombia this January.

I had to take off my shoes in the STL-MIA leg, but at least the TSA people at STL were corteous and looked like they had at least finished high school.

Anyway, I'm used to luggage searches and all the security procedures, because what's been done here since 9/11, it'd been done in Colombia for at leasr 20 years, save the shoe thing.

But it has failed: Between 1999 and 2001, 3 planes were hijacked by the guerrillas.

[schaketo]

''We're your allies!'' one member of the royal delegation shouted in Spanish to inspectors at a particularly tense moment.

Really? America currently has enough cowards claiming to be allies. They have one hand stuck out in front of them asking for handouts and the other on their long knife handle waiting for an opportunity to stick it in our back. Get out and don't come back.

[cynicom]

Two ways of life in this world. One for the elite and or priveleged, the other for the serfs. Always been this way and will never change.

[FITZ]

It is Europe.. They have a history of Monarchy.. You don't like it? Tough.. It's their country, a sovereign nation, and not liable to the laws of the United States..

We should respect their monarchy if we go to their countries --- but we're not a nation of kings, we don't believe in them. What's so wrong with them getting treated like the ordinary guy?

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

I promise not tell anybody. It is our secret.

By the way, That orange jump suit you were in looked stunning. Everybody was commenting on it and wondering in what store they could purchase one.

[InvisibleChurch]

the more i read Atlas Shrugged, the more spot-on it gets

[hgro]

There is a prince-ant, step on it!!

[Verginius Rufus]

Prince Felipe's problem is that he has French blood. His ancestor Felipe V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, was a grandson of King Louis XIV of France.

[Savage Beast]

Felipe might want to maintain good relations with airport workers around the world. He might find himself in a hurry if the Muslim re-reconquest of el-Andaluz happens faster than expected.

[cyborg]

agree wholeheartedly!