Why Spaniards celebrate April Fool’s Day in December

On 28 December 1993, after getting off a flight from Barcelona at Madrid’s Barajas airport, 23 year-old actress Maribel Verdu was suddenly surrounded by journalists and photographers. The reason for their frantic curiosity became apparent to Verdu when she was handed that day’s copy of a Spanish newspaper, in which a full-page feature claimed she was ‘implicated’ in the separation of Princess Diana-Prince Charles. As a stunned and incredulous Verdu sat in the press room, cameras flashing in her face, the assembled hacks demanded details about her rumoured affair with the English royal, who had announced his split from Diana the year before. 

Verdu actually started to look a little scared a few minutes later (the video is on YouTube), when one of her press officers informed the press pack that Charles was in the airport – presumably to publicly announce their relationship and take her back to England. ‘I love you!’ is then heard from the back of the room, as a man in a Spitting Image-style Prince Charles mask runs in with a bunch of flowers and everyone starts laughing and clapping.