Spanish king apologises for African hunting excursion

Madrid, April 19 (IANS/EFE) "I'm very sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again," Spain's King Juan Carlos said Wednesday regarding a hunting trip to Botswana that became headline news after he was injured in a fall.

The monarch made his remarks to reporters upon leaving his room at the hospital where he underwent surgery for a shattered hip.

Supporting himself on two crutches, Juan Carlos said that he wants to resume his royal duties, adding that he feels "much better".

He also thanked the medical team and all the hospital personnel, as well as the reporters for their interest in the progress of his recovery.

The king broke his hip in a fall last Friday in Botswana on an elephant hunt. He was immediately transported back to Spain after the incident.

His unprecedented apology came after significant controversy arose in Spain.

The public and the country's political forces are currently debating whether the king should inform the public about his private trips, not to mention whether the hunting trip was proper amid Spain's economic crisis and whether big-game hunting is an appropriate activity in general.

--IANS/EFE

rd