After the hug that went around the world, Queen Letizia and Princess Leonor separated again. This time without cameras, without communiqués, without official photos.
A silent farewell, just before the Juan Sebastián de Elcano resumed its course to Cartagena de Indias.
Princess Leonor on her way to Cartagena de Indias
The Queen had traveled a few days earlier to be reunited with her eldest daughter, who has been on board the Navy training ship since January.
The stop in Panama was a perfect opportunity. The images of the embrace between the two, under the Pacific sun, went around all the media.
From then on, everything shared between mother and daughter remained private.
They had at least three days to be together. It is known that they shared a meal in the old part of the city, but little else has transcended.
The King’s House distributed some photos of the initial day, with Letizia on board the Elcano, smiling, talking with her daughter and the other midshipmen.
On Tuesday, May 6, it was time to say goodbye. Leonor, now fully adapted to life at sea, re-embarked to cross the Panama Canal with her shipmates.
The meeting with his mother was a breath of fresh air. After four months without physical contact, they needed that hug. As did the other cadets, who have had the opportunity to see their families on some of the stopovers.
The ship is now sailing across the Atlantic to Colombia. It will then pass through Santo Domingo before arriving in New York, where it will finish this leg in the Navy.
It will be there, in June, that Leonor will be reunited with her family.