After enjoying a few days of rest in Mallorca with her family, Princess Leonor is preparing to begin a new stage in her military training.
At the end of August, the heiress to the Spanish throne will enter the Naval Academy of Marin, where she will remain for a year, following in the footsteps of her training at the General Academy of the Army in Zaragoza, where she obtained the rank of second lieutenant.
The education of the princess, as future Head of State, continues in the Navy, before passing through the General Air Academy in San Javier.
Princess Leonor’s Naval Academy Trainingspain
This year, her agenda as a midshipman will be divided into two parts: the first will take place at the Escuela de Marín, and the second will begin in January, when Leonor embarks on the training ship Juan Sebastián Elcano, in Cádiz, to return on July 16, coinciding with the feast of the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of the Navy.
The schedule to be followed
Leonor will enter the Escuela Naval de Marín as a third year student with the rank of midshipman, equivalent to that of ensign.
This appointment, which has already been published in the Official State Gazette (BOE), is part of her special program of studies.
Unlike her time in Zaragoza, where the logistics were different, the princess must arrive at the facilities before midnight the day before the start of the course. This change is due to her new rank, which will also grant her certain privileges, such as a more flexible schedule and the possibility of leaving during the week.
The daily routine starts early for everyone, including the princess. At 6:45 a.m., after tidying their rooms and getting their uniforms ready, the students head to the dining hall for breakfast between seven and seven-thirty.
Third-year midshipmen, like Leonor, are free to choose where to sit in the dining hall, unlike first- and second-year students, who have assigned seating.
At eight o’clock, all students form up for the “police review,” where they make sure they are in full uniform.
At 9 o’clock, classes begin, which for Leonor will be focused on maritime navigation and naval culture, following her specific syllabus.
Classes, which last 45 minutes with 5-minute breaks in between, are interrupted from half past ten to eleven for “snack time”. While first-year students must share the canteen, midshipmen have access to their own “chamber”, a common room for socializing and resting.
More activity
After the break, academic activities resume until 1:30 p.m., when students practice sports. They can opt for outdoor or pavilion activities, and one day a week they go to the swimming pool.
Lunch is served at 2:30 p.m., which follows the same dynamic as breakfast and dinner, with no assigned tables and waiters serving plate by plate, a practice designed to teach the students etiquette.
In the afternoon, two days a week, the students participate in maritime activities, such as sailing simulators, instruction boat trips, sailing activities, and in the first quarter, a lot of military instruction in preparation for October 12, the National Holiday.
At six o’clock in the evening, the academy forms again to read the next day’s order, followed by a prayer. Students then have time to study until 9:30 p.m., when dinner is served.
Midshipmen may choose to watch programs on the television in the common room or movies on their tablets. From the third year onwards, they have the option of going out to Marin or Pontevedra if they wish, although according to former students, “this is not usually done because it is not feasible. The schedules, studies and sports activities are calculated to the millimeter and are very hard”.
Weekends
On weekends, the midshipmen are allowed to spend the night away from Friday to Sunday, and usually rent apartments shared by several midshipmen. However, they cannot leave the province without authorization.
It is likely that in the case of Princess Leonor, she will travel to Madrid on these weekends off.
After completing the first term, the next phase of her training will begin in January, when Leonor embarks on the training ship Juan Sebastián Elcano. This will set sail from Cadiz and will return six months later, on July 16, coinciding with the feast of the Virgen del Carmen, a significant day for the Spanish Navy.