MADRID – In Spain a fuss has arisen around the sisters of the Spanish King Felipe. The princesses were vaccinated against covid-19 during a visit to their father Juan Carlos in Abu Dhabi.
Since the newspaper ElConfidencial made the revelation on Tuesday, the criticism has not disappeared. The largest political parties in the country were also negative about it. Spanish princesses, Elena de Borbon (57) and Cristina (55) are neither of them among the priority target groups. They were vaccinated with the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine. The United Arab Emirates normally only offer this to their residents. The former king of Spain has now also been vaccinated, according to El Confidencial.
“Everyone should be treated equally”
The criticism is mainly that the royals can be vaccinated, while many vulnerable citizens in Spain are still waiting for their vaccination. “Everyone should be treated equally in this country, this is very unpleasant,” said Employment Minister Díaz on the national Spanish television channel TVE. Podemos, partner in the coalition government, wrote on Twitter, “Their privileges go beyond those of the people they claim to represent.”
“We had the opportunity”
The princesses have defended their choice in a joint statement. They want to get a health passport quickly with the vaccine so that they can visit their father regularly. “We had the opportunity to get vaccinated and we seized it. In any other circumstances, we would have waited our turn in Spain, ”they said in their statement. King Emeritus Juan Carlos I has been in a self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi since August last year. He secretly left Spain on suspicions of corruption.
The Spanish royal family released a brief statement stating that the king is not responsible for his sisters’ actions. Since 2014 the princesses are not formally part of the royal institution. In addition, Cristina’s official residence is in Switzerland. Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and their daughters Leonor and Sofía wait their turn.
According to El Confidencial, former director of the Spanish National Intelligence Service (CNI), Felix Sanz Roldán, also had himself immunized during a visit to Juan Carlos in Abu Dhabi.
