Days before announcing her engagement to the then Prince Felipe, Queen Letizia had a traffic accident, an event that could have been fatal and only luck prevented it.
Her friend and former boss, Alfredo Urdaci was in charge of revealing this unknown event in Letizia’s life.
Queen Letizia’s traffic accident
On November 1, 2003, five days before announcing her engagement to the Prince of Asturias, Letizia Ortiz left her apartment in Valdebernardo to go to the studios of Radio Televisión Española, in Madrid, to prepare the news.
To do so, the then journalist had to go through a tunnel, but when leaving the tunnel, the accident took place.
Alfredo Urdaci told Vanity Fair that, when leaving the tunnel, Letizia found a waterspout and several vehicles crowded on the road.
“She was driving her car at high speed. She liked to run,” explains Urdaci.
Felipe VI’s wife could not brake in time due to the aquaplaning, lost control of the vehicle and caused a multiple collision.
When the emergency services arrived at the scene of the accident, they checked that those affected, including Letizia Ortiz, were all right.
After checking their condition, the troops were totally surprised and exclaimed one of the most shocking phrases for the future queen of Spain:
“You are alive by miracle, you could have killed yourself,” the troops reproached her.
Letizia called the then Prince Felipe. He calmed her down and sent two agents of the Royal Guard to the scene, who took her by motorcycle to the RTVE headquarters.
“When she arrived she was very nervous. She took a lime tea and continued working all afternoon,” said Urdaci.