The arrival of Princess Leonor in Valparaiso this Friday did not go unnoticed, neither for the act itself nor for the context surrounding it.
The heiress to the Spanish throne, who continues her training aboard the training ship Juan Sebastián Elcano, disembarked in the Chilean city under cloudy skies and unfriendly temperatures.
But neither the cold nor the recent headlines managed to erase the smile with which he greeted, from the deck, the citizens who approached the port.
Princess Leonor arrives in Valparaiso
Although her presence in Chile was part of the official agenda of the voyage, this second international stopover has been marked by situations totally unrelated to the young woman.
In the previous days, a media storm was unleashed after the publication of some photographs of Leonor in a bikini taken during her stay in Uruguay.
The images, captured by paparazzi and published by the magazine Diez Minutos, had been a source of tension for weeks, until they were finally sold and saw the light.
The dissemination of these snapshots was not well received by the Royal House, which had already been dealing with another situation: the leak of security images by a Chilean shopping mall, which led to legal action.
Despite the media pressure, Leonor was relaxed. At the time of the mooring, she was seen with her fellow passengers repeating the usual protocol: they waved their uniform caps, all dressed warmly due to the weather, with long-sleeved jackets and even gloves.
Leonor’s agenda in Valparaiso
During her stay in Valparaiso, the princess has an official agenda ahead of her that will extend until Tuesday.
On Saturday, a private ceremony of swearing in of the Spanish flag will be held, in which it has not yet been confirmed whether Leonor will carry the national ensign.
That same day and on Sunday, the port will open its doors to the public, allowing citizens to visit the emblematic ship.
On Monday, the activity will move to the Naval School of Valparaiso, where a bust in honor of the Spanish navigator Blas de Lezo will be inaugurated.
Later, the Princess will lead a reception with the Spanish colony in Viña del Mar.
Finally, on Tuesday, the Elcano will set sail for Peru, its next stop on this training voyage, which will conclude in June in New York City.
Since leaving Cadiz in January, Leonor has visited several points in the Canary Islands and countries in South America.
It has been almost three months since she began this stage of her military training, and she still has a long way to go.