Spanish king unwelcome, town says

This video from the USA is called Spanish King Juan Carlos Elephant-Hunting Trip Causes Outrage: the man is clueless.

From Associated Press:

Saturday, May 5, 2012 02:15 PM +0200

Spain’s king declared unwelcome by northern town

MADRID — A northeastern town has declared the king of Spain an unwelcome person, dealing another blow to the 74-year-old monarch who has faced scalding criticism for going on an elephant hunting trip during a deep financial crisis.

The town council of Berga — population 17,160 — approved a motion declaring King Juan Carlos “persona non grata,” or not welcome.

The censure was proposed by the pro-independence Popular Unity Candidature party and published, following its approval, on the town’s website Saturday. Berga is located 108 kilometers (67 miles) north of Catalonia’s regional capital, Barcelona.

The king faced condemnation after breaking a hip while on a lavish safari in Botswana at a time when nearly one in four Spaniards were unemployed.

From daily The Independent in Ireland:

Spanish king’s ‘mistress’ appears on front cover of Vanity Fair

By Fiona Govan in Madrid

Friday May 18 2012

Spain’s royal family are facing fresh embarrassment with the publication of details of the controversial elephant hunting trip taken by King Juan Carlos last month and the mysterious role of the blonde aristocrat who accompanied him.

Corinna zu Sayn Wittgenstein appears on the cover of the June edition of Spain’s ‘Vanity Fair’ magazine alongside claims that she has been the king’s unofficial companion on numerous private trips abroad, including the ill-fated Botswana safari in April which caused outrage in Spain.

The twice-divorced Princess Corinna (46), who was born in Germany and claims her title through her second husband, has reportedly fled Spain amid intense speculation that she is actually the Spanish monarch’s mistress.

“She has told me that the king is her friend and a great guy whom she admires. Nothing more,” said Ms zu Sayn Wittgenstein’s first husband, Philip J Adkin, an American shipping magnate who confirmed he had also been a member of the hunting party in Botswana.

The hunting trip became public knowledge after the 74-year-old monarch fractured his hip in a fall in camp and was rushed back to Madrid for surgery. News of the king shooting endangered animals while Spaniards suffered deep economic strife was met with public outcry.

The king and Ms zu Sayn Wittgenstein reportedly met when she was organising shooting expeditions for Boss & Co, Britain’s oldest gunshop where she worked until 2006. They were on the same safari in Mozambique in 2004. Several hunting trips followed as well as a trip to Saudi Arabia.

Sources at the royal household insist she has no official role in relation to the king but friends spoken to by Vanity Fair talk of her being his “financial adviser”. (© Daily Telegraph, London)