Guardia Real

The Guardia Real is Spain's oldest and most elite security force, with a fierce tradition dating back to medieval times. Its agents consider it their sworn duty before God to ensure the safety of the royal family, to protect royal property, and to defend royal honor. The force is overseen by Commander Diego Garza, a stunted and weedy sixty-year-old with a swarthy complexion, tiny eyes, and thinning black hair worn slicked back over a mottled scalp. Garza's rodent-like features and diminutive stature make him nearly invisible in a crowd, which helps camouflage his enormous influence within the palace walls. He learned long ago that true power stems not from physical strength but from political leverage; his command of the Guardia Real troops certainly gives him clout, but it is his prescient political savvy that has established Garza as the palace's go-to man on a wide array of matters, both personal and professional. A reliable curator of secrets, Garza has never once betrayed a confidence, and his reputation for steadfast discretion, along with an uncanny ability to solve delicate problems, has made him indispensable to the king.

Structure and Command

The Guardia Real's division of electronic security is located in a windowless warren of rooms on the subterranean level of the Royal Palace. Intentionally isolated from the palace's vast Guardia barracks and armory, the division's headquarters consists of a dozen computer cubicles, one telephone switchboard, and a wall of security monitors. The eight-person staff—all under the age of thirty-five—is responsible for providing secure communication networks for the staff of the Royal Palace and the Guardia Real, as well as handling electronic surveillance support for the physical palace itself. The division's director of electronic security is Suresh Bhalla, an Indian-born surveillance specialist. The Guardia's agents are highly trained; two sleek security officers who shadow Ambra Vidal at the Guggenheim Museum move with the wary confidence of panthers and wear matching blue blazers with embroidered crests and the large initials GR. Agent Fonseca, a senior officer normally assigned only to Prince Julián himself, is a tall man with a shaved head and a muscular body that strains at his blue blazer, his face pale with muted features that set off his sharp eyes. Agent Díaz is his partner.

Role in the Kirsch Assassination Crisis

On the night of Edmond Kirsch's assassination, the Guardia Real is immediately thrust into a crisis. Agent Fonseca, who has been tasked with keeping Ambra Vidal safe, finds himself outmaneuvered when Langdon and Vidal flee the museum with the help of the synthetic intelligence Winston. Fonseca reports to Commander Garza that the future queen consort has abandoned her phone and disappeared with the American professor. Garza, furious, orders Fonseca and Díaz to find her on their own, forbidding them from alerting local authorities to avoid embarrassment to the prince. The crisis deepens when PR coordinator Mónica Martín informs Garza that ConspiracyNet is about to publish a photo of assassin Luis Ávila's palm tattoo—the symbol of Franco—and that the site is linking the bishop to the assassin. Garza is then arrested by his own agents on direct orders from the king, who has been convinced by Bishop Valdespino that Garza framed the bishop. Garza is marched in handcuffs across the plaza, past yelling cameramen and reporters, and publicly accused by Martín of colluding with Kirsch's killers. Later, in the armory where he is held prisoner, Martín secretly reveals to him that she knows the allegations are false and that she is working to uncover the truth.

Agents in the Field

Agent Fonseca and Agent Díaz pursue Langdon and Vidal to Barcelona. They arrive by military transport and, after a chaotic rooftop confrontation at Casa Milà where local police open fire on Langdon, they rescue the pair in an EC145 helicopter. Fonseca insists on taking Vidal to Madrid, but she forces him to redirect to Sagrada Família. Inside the basilica, while Langdon and Vidal are in the crypt, Díaz is killed by Admiral Ávila, who snaps his neck. Fonseca is also killed by Ávila moments later. The two Guardia agents die in the line of duty protecting the future queen. Prince Julián later honors them in a televised speech, taking a somber moment to acknowledge their sacrifice.

Commander Garza's Fate

Garza is eventually freed after the king's confession and the revelation that the kidnapping story was a fabrication. He receives a call from Bishop Valdespino, who apologizes for the arrest and tells him the king is dying. Garza informs Valdespino that a text found on his phone implicates him in the conspiracy, but Valdespino insists he is being framed. The commander is left to navigate the aftermath of a night that has shattered the Guardia Real's chain of command and cost the lives of two of its agents.