Princess Leonor back on parade

Fresh off of welcoming the Euro Cup victors home to Spain, and undertaking her first solo visit, Princess Leonor was out again for a military engagement with her parents.

Princess Leonor joined King Felipe, Queen Letizia and the Minister of Defence as the newest officers of the Spanish Navy were sworn in as new officers at the Naval Military School of Marín, in the Spanish city of Pontevedra.

According to the Spanish Royal Court, 76 first-year naval students were sworn in during the ceremony. A further 111 students were presented with commissions as new naval officers after training. These students come from 12 countries, including Spain.

Students who didn’t previously receive a university degree were also at the ceremony to receive the Official Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Vigo.

After the presentations, the new officers paraded under their flag as an official farewell to naval training and the festivities ended with a parade from the Student Battalion.

Princess Leonor is set to begin naval training as part of her three-year military training with each branch of Spain’s armed forces. She spent the past year with the Spanish Army, earning the rank of Cadet Ensign.

In a speech in May, Princess Leonor spoke of her army training: “I arrived at the General Military Academy with enthusiasm and a great desire to learn and get to know both my classmates and the other classes with whom I have shared this year.

“I can tell you that what I have experienced here far exceeds what I thought ten months ago.”

The future queen will attend naval training at the Naval Military School of Marín before departing on the Juan Sebastián Elcano training ship. This training ship travels the world while teaching naval cadets practical skills.

Following the year of naval training, Princess Leonor will undertake a year’s training in the Spanish Air Force.