The King praised this Saturday the “effort and brilliance” with which his firstborn, the Princess of Asturias, has completed her military training, which she began three years ago in the Army and will culminate next July 10 at the General Air Academy (San Javier, Murcia), where she will receive the Grand Cross of Aeronautical Merit (she already has the military and naval ones) with a white distinction. Leonor de Borbón has overcome this challenge “with great effort and brilliance. As a father, I will not be the one to have to say it, as the supreme commander [of the Armed Forces] we will see,” he added amid the laughter of those present.
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At the reception offered by the City Council of Vigo, on the occasion of Armed Forces Day, held this time in the economic and industrial capital of Galicia, the King emphasized that this is the first time the heir to the throne attends this event and does so as a cadet ensign of the Air and Space Army. Although she will not receive the lieutenant star until next year, to be promoted at the same pace as her promotion classmates, she already wears the emblem of sapper paratrooper, which certifies the six jumps she has made.
The Princess of Asturias has been the protagonist of a celebration that, as Felipe VI has emphasized, aims to show Spanish society, each year in a different city, “what the military do, how they do it, and what values they represent.” Leonor de Borbón was seen chatting with her classmates from the Naval School of Marín (Pontevedra), with whom she shared a voyage last year aboard the sailboat Juan Sebastián de Elcano, and attending the parade from the Royal Tribune, one step behind her father, saluting firmly and standing, with the other military personnel, as the troops passed by.
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The military parade was marred by the cancellation of the aerial display – in which 71 aircraft were to participate – for security reasons, due to the presence of low clouds. That did not dampen the enthusiasm of the public, who cheered the King and applauded the passage of the 3,476 members of the Armed Forces and the Civil Guard and 141 vehicles, which covered 1,165 meters of Samil Avenue, next to the beach of the same name. The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, aborted what threatened to become a protest attempt by approaching the barriers that separated the public.
The only incident occurred during the solemn raising of the Spanish flag, which came down as it was ascending the mast due to the pulley wheel breaking. After a few seconds of confusion, the King ordered the Royal Guard flag bearer, who was about to withdraw at that moment, to remain next to the bare mast holding the national banner. The flag is the symbol that presides over any military celebration and without it, none can take place. It was just an anecdote, but it showed an unprecedented image of the head of state: the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces giving direct orders to the military in an unexpected situation.
