The Spanish Royal Family is facing a new media challenge after the publication of photographs of Princess Leonor in a bikini during her stay in Montevideo.
The Spanish magazine Diez Minutos, took these images to its cover, provoking a reaction of deep discomfort in Zarzuela.
The Juan Sebastián de Elcano, training ship of the Spanish Navy, arrived in Montevideo on March 5 after crossing the Atlantic.
Upon arrival, Princess Leonor, along with her fellow midshipmen, decided to take advantage of their free time to take a swim at a beach in the Uruguayan capital.
It was at that moment when a paparazzi – who has pursued Leonor since she began her voyage – captured the images of the heir to the throne, which a month later would be published.
Spanish Royal Family Reacts
“It is an invasion of Leonor’s privacy,” they say from her entourage, stressing that the young woman was at a moment of rest and not in an official act.
The commotion has been such that Queen Letizia, according to close sources, is the one who has been most affected by this situation.
“They did not expect that they would be published,” confess sources close to the kings.
Unlike other leaks, such as the one that occurred in Chile with images captured from a security camera, this time the photographs were taken in a public space, where legislation allows their dissemination without the need for authorization.
Legal experts assure that “there is no infringement in legal terms”.
However, sources close to the monarchy insist that, even if Leonor was in a place accessible to the public, her image should be more protected.
“It is shocking to see how the heiress to the throne can be the subject of this type of exposure,” they say.
While the photographs of Princess Leonor are quickly going viral on social media and in international media, the Royal House continues with its official agenda without directly pronouncing itself on the controversy, but the concern in the Palace is evident.