Just 20 years ago, the then Prince Felipe arrived in Asturias with a secret. Without anyone suspecting anything, for months he had been in a romantic relationship with the journalist Letizia Ortiz, with whom he met in Oviedo a week before his marriage engagement was announced. On Friday, they recreated the scene in the same place, already married and with two daughters.
On October 24, 2003, the day the Prince of Asturias awards were presented, which, among others, were collected by Lula da Silva, Miquel Barceló, Ryszard Kapuscinski, Jane Goodall and J.K. Rowling, Prince Philip, as in other years, went to the set of TVE to greet the journalists and technicians who had worked on the transmission of the ceremony.
Nothing special, not even the greeting to Letizia Ortiz, then presenter, together with Alfredo Urdaci, of the second edition of Telediario. The images of the greeting were broadcast on the news, but no one noticed the complicit look of Felip and Letícia. The best kept secret was not revealed until a week later.
Who knew then that Operation Princess had been launched is another mystery. A few knew that Letizia Ortiz and Felip de Borbó were seeing each other, but only they knew that the story had only begun,
The newspaper archive will have the image of Letícia, in a brown jacket dress with camel stripes and a turtleneck sweater, shaking hands with the prince next to the then president of RTVE, José Antonio Sánchez, in one of the hotel's lounges reconquer As will be his last live broadcast in a striking yellow coat.
The journalist, much appreciated in Asturias, where she is from and where her grandmother Menchu Álvarez del Valle was a celebrity, was the subject of an interview in those days, on the occasion of her presence in Oviedo to cover the awards what, years later, it can be said that he offered some keys without anyone noticing. The journalist Regina Buitrago, from Oviedo TV, asked her: "What does it mean for a person from Oviedo like you, Letizia, to cover such an important event for the city?". And the current Reina replied: "I'm always excited to come to Oviedo, but this year, for many circumstances, for many reasons, much more. I am very excited to cover the awards...". The circumstances were not just any circumstances, Letícia knew that it would be one of her last jobs as a journalist and that, as it turned out, the following year she would return to Oviedo as Princess of Asturias.
In another of the answers, however, he wanted to mislead: "Being in my city is a privilege, the Asturian accent is coming back to me and I hope to continue covering the Prince of Asturias awards for many years". But he did not cover them again as a journalist, although since 2003, except for the 2005 edition, when he was only a few days away from giving birth to Princess Eleonor, he has never missed one.
On November 1, 2003, a week after the match in Oviedo, Zarzuela issued the statement that would change her life: "Their Majesties, the Kings, have the great satisfaction of announcing the engagement of their son, the prince of Asturias, Felipe, with Mrs. Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano".
