Next Wednesday, July 3, 18-year-old Princess Leonor will once again become the center of attention.
This day will mark her return to Zaragoza to receive the office of ensign, officially ending her intense training in the Spanish Army.
This event will have a special touch, as it will be King Felipe himself who will personally present the title to his eldest daughter.
What will Princess Leonor’s graduation as an ensign in the Spanish Army be like?
The main ceremony will begin in the parade ground of the General Military Academy (AGM).
This solemn act will be attended by King Felipe and Queen Letizia, as well as Infanta Sofia, who usually does not attend military ceremonies, but will make an exception on this significant occasion for her older sister.
Dressed in the traditional khaki uniform, Leonor will advance with a firm step to the presidential table, where her father will be waiting for her to name her an officer of the Army.
It is also expected that Felipe VI will take this opportunity to present her with a second decoration: the Grand Cross of Military Merit with white distinction, further highlighting the heir to the throne among her peers.
After the delivery of the appointments, the parade of the new lieutenants of the Army and the Civil Guard will take place, followed by the traditional ‘Rompan filas’, a festive moment in which all those present throw their berets in the air as a sign of farewell to the military institution.
Princess Leonor will finally say goodbye to what has been her home for more than 10 months by signing in the Book of Honor of the General Military Academy, a gesture that could be accompanied by the King and Queen, recalling the passage of the heiress by Zaragoza.
Special exceptions in Leonor’s farewell to the military academy
The presence of Leonor will mark in a significant way the act of delivery of the Royal Dispatches at the AGM of Zaragoza.
The unusual presence of the Infanta Sofia, another notable exception is the presentation of the Gran Cruz del Mérito Militar con distintivo blanco by Don Felipe, a decoration that King Juan Carlos also awarded her in 1986.
However, unlike her father, Leonor will receive both awards consecutively.
The academy’s director, Manuel Pérez López, will also make a special mention of Princess Leonor in his speech, highlighting her outstanding time at the AGM.
The event will conclude with a brief cocktail party outside the academy, where the King and Queen and their daughters will be able to interact more closely with the families of the cadets, marking an emotional end to the intense and memorable 10 months of the heir to the throne at the AGM.
A full official schedule for Princess Leonor
Although it might be thought that after receiving her title of ensign, Princess Leonor would begin her well-deserved summer vacation, the reality is quite different.
The heir to the throne has a busy schedule of institutional commitments ahead of her.
On Friday, July 5th, she will travel with Don Felipe to Lleida to preside over the presentation of the Royal Dispatches to the new promotion of the Non-Commissioned Officers Scale at the General Basic Academy of Non-Commissioned Officers of Talarn.
A few days later, on July 9, she will participate in the events prior to the Princess of Girona Awards together with the Infanta Sofia, and later in the main ceremony in Lloret de Mar, presided over by the King and Queen of Spain.
On July 12, Leonor will make her first trip abroad, visiting Lisbon to meet with the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, at the Belém Palace, where they will discuss environmental issues, showing the young woman’s commitment to the Crown.
Finally, on July 16, we will see her in Pontevedra, where she will visit the Naval School of Marin with her parents for a first contact before her entry in August.
After these engagements, Leonor will begin her long-awaited summer vacation, which will end in Palma de Mallorca, following the tradition of the Spanish royal family.