A royal change

By Jason Moore THE pregnancy of Princess Letizia, the future Queen of Spain, could mean that change will sweep through the Spanish royal family. If the royal couple were to have a girl, she could be the first Spanish princess to have the same right as a boy to accede to the throne, under a plan announced by the Socialist government in March. While not banning women from the throne as Japan does, Spain gives precedence to the male line. The government is seeking an opinion on a possible change to the rule from the State Council - a body made up of elder statesmen, former ministers, judges and civil servants. There is plenty of support in the Balearics for a change to the royal rule. Balearic politicians, while congratulating the royal couple, said that the time had come for the outdated rule to be overhauled. However, if the baby is a boy then Prime Minister Zapatero has said that the change may be put on hold. The pregnancy announcement came as the Spanish royal couple started a historic official visit to the Balearics. The Balearic tour already eagerly awaited, has been given additional importance. Hundreds of people greeted Prince Felipe and Doña Letizia as they arrived in Palma on Sunday and all TV and radio programming was abandoned to concentrate on the royal pregancy. One of the first people to congratulate the royal couple was Jaume Matas, the leader of the Balearic government who greeted them when they arrived at Palma airport. What a great moment for the Balearics, a place which already prides itself on its close roots with the royal family.