The Covid-19 vaccinations of two Spanish princesses in the United Arab Emirates – much earlier than they would have received in Spain – have sparked controversy since the news was first reported by the digital newspaper El Confidencial in Madrid.
Several Spanish ministers on Wednesday publicly criticized the two princesses, Elena and Cristina, who were recently vaccinated when they visited their father, the former King Juan Carlos, in Abu Dhabi, where he lives.
Shortly after the criticism, Princess Elena issued a statement which she said was “in response to media reports about the vaccination”.
‘My sister (Cristina) and I, who went to visit our father (in Abu Dhabi) and with the aim of obtaining a health passport that would enable us to visit him regularly, offered us the vaccine and accepted it. . ‘
The statement concluded that if the circumstances had not been the case, the princesses would have in turn waited to get the vaccine in Spain.
A spokesman for the royal household noted that Princesses Elena and Cristina, although sisters of Spanish King Felipe, have had no official duties as members of the royal family since at least 2014.
The spokesman also stressed that the king, queen and their two daughters strictly adhere to the Covid health guidelines of Spain, and that they will in turn wait for the vaccinations in Spain, based on their ages and health conditions.
Spain, like other European Union countries, has had delays in its vaccination program due to limited supplies. A number of government officials and some Roman Catholic clergymen were also seen jumping in line to get vaccinated. Several of them later publicly apologized and some resigned from their positions.
Data from the Ministry of Health show that only 1.4 million people in Spain received both doses of Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, along with some others who received the AstraZeneca vaccine, in a population of approximately 47 million .