Law is equal for all by Jason Moore

N O-one is above the law in Spain, said judge Jose Castro yesterday as he summoned the King´s youngest daughter to appear in court in Palma later this month. Judge Castro is investigating allegations that the Princess´s husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, embezzled six million euros of public funds. King Juan Carlos made a similar statement about the law in Spain in his Christmas address. To put the whole affair in context, can you imagine Princess Anne, ever appearing in court in Britain? If I was honest I can´t really see it. So Spain does deserve praise for showing that the law is equal for all. Now watching Spanish TV chat shows yesterday it was evident that in some ways Spaniards were proud that no-one was above the law but also they were disappointed that a senior member of their royal family had received a court summons. An appeal against the court date will be launched because interestingly enough the prosecution has not asked for the Princess Cristina to be summoned only the judge who is investigating the case. This is rather unusual. Over the last few weeks it was becoming increasingly clear that the Princess would have to be questioned about the whole affair. Some die-hard republicans had said that the judiciary didn´t have the necessary courage to summon a senior royal to court. They have been proved wrong. There may be plenty wrong with Spain at the moment but at least the judiciary is a shining light of how the legal profession should function in a modern European democracy.