At just seven months old, Princess Leonor already had her first significant moment tied to a tradition of the Spanish Royal Family. On June 7, 2006, her parents, then the Prince and Princess of Asturias, took the little girl to the Basilica of Our Lady of Atocha to present her before the Virgin.
The event was simple and intimate, with just over two hundred people present and no official representatives.
Leonor arrived dressed in white and held in her mother’s arms, but it soon became clear that she was quite curious about everything happening around her. She turned her head to look at the attendees and the cameras, while the Archbishop of Madrid, Antonio María Rouco Varela, noticed her and uttered a phrase that perfectly captured the moment. “She notices everything!” he exclaimed.
The little girl also wore a large gold cross on her chest and did not burst into tears during the ceremony.
The key moment came after the Salve was recited. Felipe and Letizia presented their daughter before the Virgin and lifted her into the air as part of the ritual. The scene moved those inside the church, and as they exited through the central aisle, King Felipe had to shield Leonor from attendees who wanted to approach and touch her.
Behind that gesture lay a tradition steeped in centuries of history. The Royal Family’s devotion to the Virgin of Atocha dates back to 1643, when Philip IV proclaimed her the protector of the Royal Family. Since then, the heirs have been entrusted to her, seeking her protection.