MIAMI -- A routine security check at Miami International Airport turned into a diplomatic flap when the unhappy subjects of the search turned out to be the future king of Spain and his fiancee.
Crown Prince Felipe, Spanish television anchorwoman Letizia Ortiz and four bodyguards were connecting onto a commercial airliner in Miami after arriving from the Bahamas in a chartered jet, The Miami Herald reported for Saturday's editions.
``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,'' Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lauren Stover said. ``It's the law.''
The couple had only given six hours notice instead of the standard three days required by the State Department for an expedited security check, the newspaper reported. They were taken to an American Airlines lounge, where they were searched by three ``top-notch screeners with VIP experience,'' Stover said.
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 Thursday.
A Spanish consular official in Miami, who refused to give his name to the paper, 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.''
