Even before this obligatory passage, the young woman was well aware of her new role and her new obligations, particularly discretion.
It’s a birthday not quite like the others that this young Spaniard has just celebrated. Tuesday October 31, Princess Leonor, heir to the crown of Spain, celebrated her 18th birthday: as tradition dictates, on the very day of her birthday, she took an oath of loyalty to the Constitution, an essential step to be able to succeed one day as head of state to his father, King Felipe VI.
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Accompanied by her father and mother, Queen Letizia, as well as her sister, Infanta Sofia, Leonor de Bourbon took the oath before the two houses of Parliament meeting in extraordinary session, an approach to which her grandfather, Juan Carlos I, in 1969 under the Franco dictatorship, then his father in 1986 under the democratic regime.
Dressed in an elegant white tuxedo, Leonor took the oath on the same copy of the Constitution as her father, 37 years before her, under his father’s tender gaze, in the presence of the Queen and in front of the President of the Chamber of MPs, Francina Armengol. “I swear to faithfully fulfill my functions, to protect and ensure protection of the Constitution and the laws, to respect the rights of citizens and autonomous communities, and to be faithful to the king“, she declared before being applauded for several minutes by the hemicycle. Visibly moved, the sovereign then kissed his daughter.
“It means a lot to me”
Even before this obligatory transition, the young woman was well aware of her new role: “On October 31, I will be 18 years old. I will have the honor of swearing loyalty to the Constitution. This means a lot to me, personally and institutionally. I can tell you that I understand very well and I am aware of my duty and what my responsibilities entail“, she said, last October 20, during the Princess of Asturias 2023 awards ceremony.
Thus, his looks and smiles to a fellow student during the National Day on October 12 were widely commented on. Pilar Eyre, specialist journalist, even devoted a video to it, deciphering Léonor’s every move: “The Palace is not happy because she is attributed with a boyfriend and it is not true, or it is true but it should not be said… But, I consider that Leonor was impeccable during of this day. She has been since she was little and she read her speeches in several languages, always impeccably. She is very responsible, she is in no way arrogant, I find all the qualities in her.”
The main thing is not that Leonor pleases journalists, but rather the Spaniards of her generation, those who will be her subjects. However, the latter are deemed more sensitive to the Republican option. However, the fact remains that the brief ceremony – broadcast on several giant screens installed in the Puerta del Sol square, in the heart of Madrid, as well as in other places in the Spanish capital – was followed by a crowd gathered around the Parliament , waving Spanish flags and throwing “Long live Spain” on the passage of the royal family.
King Emeritus Juan Carlos I, Leonor’s grandfather, did not attend the ceremony. Entangled in repeated scandals during the last part of his reign, he had to abdicate in 2014 before going into exile in the United Arab Emirates in 2020. He should, however, attend a private ceremony at the end of the day at the palace of the Pardo, a few kilometers from Madrid.