Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
Princess Leonor’s naval training took a regal turn on Tuesday when she joined an official luncheon aboard the ship.
The future queen of Spain, who departed for naval training aboard the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano a couple of weeks ago, met with local authorities from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria during a stopover in the area.
The Spanish Royal Court shared a photograph of Princess Leonor with the heads of the naval training ship and local dignitaries. Las Palmas is the capital city of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, a Spanish autonomous territory off the coast of Morrocco.
On 11 January, Princess Leonor officially departed for the second phase of her naval training, aboard the Juan Sebastián de Elcano from the Port of Cádiz. Like her father, King Felipe, and grandfather, King Juan Carlos, she is undergoing military training to prepare her for her future role as queen.
In a farewell speech, King Felipe told his daughter, “It is an experience that will surely remain, as it happened to me and also to your grandfather, among your best memories of military training.”
Princess Leonor will undertake a five-month sailing trip aboard the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, with stops in Brazil, Chile, Peru, Panama, Colombia, Santo Domingo, and finally, New York City, where she will disembark for a period before flying back to Spain and rejoining her fellow midshipman for the final stops. The future queen will also spend a month on an Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate before concluding her naval training.
In 2023 and 2024, Princess Leonor trained with the Spanish Army and once her naval training is complete this summer, she will begin a third and final year of training with the Spanish Air Force.