Princess Leonor experienced a day marked by recognition and emotion in Galicia on July 14.
Dressed in the white uniform of the Navy, she received the Gold Medal of Galicia in Santiago de Compostela, an award given by the regional government as a sign of the Galician people’s appreciation and in recognition of her training at the Naval Academy in Marín.
Leonor receives the Gold Medal of Galicia
The ceremony was held before a crowd that welcomed her with bagpipes and applause.
During the ceremony, the heir to the throne gave a speech in Galician in which she expressed her gratitude for the affection she had received and shared some of her experiences as a midshipman.
She mentioned how demanding life was at the Rúa de Pontevedra, but also highlighted the friendliness of the people and how much she enjoyed the local cuisine, especially in the traditional furanchos.
She fondly recalled the atmosphere she experienced with her classmates and expressed her desire to return to Galicia whenever she can.
Her words, full of warmth and pride, culminated in the phrase: “This is my home, where the sea ends,” an expression she heard when she arrived at the Ferrol estuary and which she chose to say goodbye with, amid applause and a broken voice.
Without her parents or her sister Sofía present, Leonor represented the Royal House with poise.
Leonor, adopted daughter of Marín
After the ceremony in Santiago, she traveled to Marín, a town in Pontevedra that has named her its adopted daughter.
The title recognizes the special bond between the princess and the town that has been her home during her last year of naval training.
With this new symbolic gesture, Galicia strengthens its bond with the woman who is destined to be its future queen.