Headline news stories across the globe recently touted the abdication of Spain’s 76-year-old King Juan Carlos and the ascension to the thrown by his son, 46-year-old Crown Prince Felipe. Of interest to local residents, however, might be Statesboro’s connection to the newly crowned king of Spain. Statesboro native and Statesboro High School graduate Giselle Howard, called “Gigi” by her friends, who now lives in New York, dated the former prince for 2 1/2 years, beginning in 1996, and was Crown Prince Felipe’s only American girlfriend.