King of Spain’s sister doesn’t follow normal prison rules when visiting convicted husband

KING Felipe’s sister does not have to follow normal rules when visiting her imprisoned husband due to security reasons, it was revealed last week.
Princess Cristina de Borbon is allowed to take her private car to the door of Brieva jail, in Castilla y Leon.
She does not have to wait with other visitors when she arrives to see her husband Iñaki Urdangarin, according to Spain’s Interior Ministry. Urdangarin was convicted of embezzlement, tax crimes and influence peddling as part of the ‘Noos’ case earlier this year.
The Interior Ministry was responding to a question from Senator Joan Comorera, of the leftist Podemos, who asked why Princess Cristina enjoyed the special privileges.
The Ministry said the arrangements were due to “security circumstances” such as keeping the King’s sister away from incidents which could occur if she came into contact with other visitors.
“Authorities have an obligation to guarantee the safety and privacy of inmates an visitors during the visits,” the Ministry said.
“The inmate alluded to, just like any other individual serving a sentence at the Avila Penitentiary Centre (Brieva), enjoys the same ordinary and family communications as any other, and in the same conditions as established by penitentiary regulations,” the Ministry said.
Princess Cristina has visited Urdangarin twice since he was jailed June 18 after losing an appeal against the sentence at Spain’s Supreme Court.
The first visit took place that month, while the second went ahead on July 8 with no further records of trips since, according to reports.
Urdangarin, a former Spanish handball champion from Guipuzcoa in the Basque Country, has been serving his sentence in a women’s prison at his own request. He married Princess Cristina in 1997 and the couple have four children.