The Covid-19 vaccinations of two Spanish princesses in the United Arab Emirates – much earlier than they would have gotten them in Spain – have sparked controversy since the news was first reported by the digital newspaper El Confidencial in Madrid.
Several Spanish ministers on Wednesday openly criticized the two princesses, Elena and Cristina, who were recently vaccinated while visiting their father, former King Juan Carlos of Spain, in Abu Dhabi, where he lives.
Shortly after the criticism, Princess Elena released a statement she said was “in response to media reports about the vaccination.”
“My sister (Cristina) and I were visiting our father (in Abu Dhabi) and with the aim of obtaining a health passport that would allow us to visit him regularly, we were offered the vaccine and we accepted it.”
The statement concluded that had the circumstances not been there, the princesses would have waited their turn to get the vaccine in Spain.
A royal family spokesman noted that Princesses Elena and Cristina, while they were sisters of Spain’s King Felipe, have had no official duties as members of the royal family since 2014 at least.
The spokesperson also stressed that the King, Queen and their two daughters strictly adhere to Covid’s Spanish health guidelines and will “wait their turn” for vaccinations in Spain, based on their age and health status.
Spain, like other countries of the European Union, has had delays in its vaccination program due to limited supplies. It has also seen a number of government officials and a few Roman Catholic clergy jump in line to get vaccinations. Some of them later publicly apologized and some resigned.
Ministry of Health data shows that only 1.4 million people in Spain have received both doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, along with some others who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine, in a population of about 47 million.