Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

International Wrap, Eye on World

Aired November 06, 2003 - 06:36   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Spain is getting set for a royal wedding. We're looking at live pictures now coming to us from that area. And like most marriages, someone always seems to have an opinion of the bride, but this time that someone is a whole nation.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is with us now to tell us more about what we can expect in today's coverage.

So, what's the deal here?

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Heidi.

What we're seeing, as you say, is a live picture there, Prince Felipe of Spain with his bride-to-be, Letezia Ortiz. And, as you say, the whole of Spain has an opinion, but it's changing opinions. An interesting story here. The prince has spent many, many years going out with various different girls. The Spanish royal family hoping that he would get married. Finally, he chooses a woman, and at first there is great approval. She's a modern professional independent Spanish woman.

But then the problems -- two problems. One is she's a divorcee. She was briefly married before. But worse than that, she used to be a journalist. But not only that...

COLLINS: And?

CLINCH: Well, in fact, she used to work and anchor for our affiliate in Spain, CNN KLUS (ph), amongst other networks she worked for in Spain, and was very well-known -- is a very well-known face and celebrity. Well, the problem then becomes not her work as a journalist necessarily, although some old-fashioned Spaniards are questioning how independent a princess and future queen should be, but really the point is that what it has opened up is because she was a divorcee and because she was a journalist in the public eye, it's opened up a whole new royal watching media frenzy in Spain, which didn't exist before.

COLLINS: Right.

CLINCH: The royal family was always very revered and treated very seriously as the royal family, untouchable. Well, she's not untouchable. It's been all over the papers, her previous marriage, everything she's ever done. Anybody who has ever met her has been on television in Spain. So, a very beautiful couple, and we're looking forward to covering the wedding, but unfortunately another royal media frenzy that we'll have to keep an eye on in Spain.

COLLINS: Well, it's always an interesting discussion when you talk about how a journalist remains unbiased when they're given situations like this. But is it really for the royal family more about the prior divorce?

CLINCH: Well, I should stress it's not necessarily the royal family making a deal about that. What we are hearing -- I don't know -- but what we're hearing is they're probably so relieved that he's getting married that they're very happy with it. The Spanish public are the ones that are looking at her...

COLLINS: Got it.

CLINCH: ... role as a journalist. And really, the point is not necessarily they don't think highly of her. It's just that everything is in the papers, and that's a new departure for the Spanish royal family. But, you know, an anchor becomes a princess. What more can you hope for?

COLLINS: What more can you hope for? You had to say that, didn't you?

CLINCH: Right.

COLLINS: All right, David Clinch, thanks so much this morning.

CLINCH: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired November 6, 2003 - 06:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Spain is getting set for a royal wedding. We're looking at live pictures now coming to us from that area. And like most marriages, someone always seems to have an opinion of the bride, but this time that someone is a whole nation.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is with us now to tell us more about what we can expect in today's coverage.

So, what's the deal here?

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Heidi.

What we're seeing, as you say, is a live picture there, Prince Felipe of Spain with his bride-to-be, Letezia Ortiz. And, as you say, the whole of Spain has an opinion, but it's changing opinions. An interesting story here. The prince has spent many, many years going out with various different girls. The Spanish royal family hoping that he would get married. Finally, he chooses a woman, and at first there is great approval. She's a modern professional independent Spanish woman.

But then the problems -- two problems. One is she's a divorcee. She was briefly married before. But worse than that, she used to be a journalist. But not only that...

COLLINS: And?

CLINCH: Well, in fact, she used to work and anchor for our affiliate in Spain, CNN KLUS (ph), amongst other networks she worked for in Spain, and was very well-known -- is a very well-known face and celebrity. Well, the problem then becomes not her work as a journalist necessarily, although some old-fashioned Spaniards are questioning how independent a princess and future queen should be, but really the point is that what it has opened up is because she was a divorcee and because she was a journalist in the public eye, it's opened up a whole new royal watching media frenzy in Spain, which didn't exist before.

COLLINS: Right.

CLINCH: The royal family was always very revered and treated very seriously as the royal family, untouchable. Well, she's not untouchable. It's been all over the papers, her previous marriage, everything she's ever done. Anybody who has ever met her has been on television in Spain. So, a very beautiful couple, and we're looking forward to covering the wedding, but unfortunately another royal media frenzy that we'll have to keep an eye on in Spain.

COLLINS: Well, it's always an interesting discussion when you talk about how a journalist remains unbiased when they're given situations like this. But is it really for the royal family more about the prior divorce?

CLINCH: Well, I should stress it's not necessarily the royal family making a deal about that. What we are hearing -- I don't know -- but what we're hearing is they're probably so relieved that he's getting married that they're very happy with it. The Spanish public are the ones that are looking at her...

COLLINS: Got it.

CLINCH: ... role as a journalist. And really, the point is not necessarily they don't think highly of her. It's just that everything is in the papers, and that's a new departure for the Spanish royal family. But, you know, an anchor becomes a princess. What more can you hope for?

COLLINS: What more can you hope for? You had to say that, didn't you?

CLINCH: Right.

COLLINS: All right, David Clinch, thanks so much this morning.

CLINCH: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.