No royal treatment for Spanish crown prince Nation objects when U.S. puts him through security check

A routine security check at Miami International Airport turnedinto a diplomatic flap when the unhappy subjects of the search turnedout to be the future king of Spain and his fiancee.

The couple and four bodyguards were connecting onto a commercialairliner in Miami after arriving from the Bahamas in a chartered jet,the Miami Herald reported over the weekend.

But before boarding their Iberia Airlines flight to Madrid onThursday, Crown Prince Felipe, Spanish television anchorwoman LetiziaOrtiz and their entourage had to pass through a security check.

"The prince and his bodyguard felt they should not be subjected tothe screening, but if they do not have an escort from the StateDepartment or the Secret Service, it is required," saidTransportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lauren Stover."It's the law."

The couple, who had only given six hours notice instead of thestandard 72, were taken to an American Airlines lounge, where theywere searched by three "top-notch screeners with VIP experience,"Stover said.

That same day, Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas sent the royalfamily a letter of apology about what he called a "lamentablesituation."

"The facts I have received thus far indicate an apparent disregardfor protocol and disrespect of His Highness and his delegation. ... Ihave called upon our County Manager to conduct a completeinvestigation into this matter," he wrote.

A Spanish consular official in Miami, who refused to give his nameto the paper, said it would be Consul General Javier Vallaure'sdecision whether to file a complaint. "We don't consider this theproper way to treat our future king," the official said. "It's abreach of protocol."