By [https://www.flickr.com/people/72214384@N00 Cl�udio Vaz] – XV Cimeira Ibero-Americana – Salamanca, Espanha Uploaded by ecemaml, CC BY 2.0, Wiki Commons

Queen Sofia will miss the moment her granddaughter, Princess Leonor, makes an historic promise because her husband, King Juan Carlos, won’t be there.

On the day that Leonor, Princess of Asturias, turns 18, will swear allegiance to the Constitution of Spain in the country’s parliament.

Juan Carlos will be in Madrid on the day, October 31st 2023, but won’t be at the solemn event. It’s understood there were concerns his presence might overshadow his granddaughter’s important pledge.

As a result, Queen Sofia has decided not to attend so that there is no difference between them and how they are treated on such an important day.

King Juan Carlos was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Constitution which brought democracy to Spain. However, a string of scandals led to the former monarch choosing to go into self imposed exile in 2020. He now lives in Abu Dhabi but returns occasionally to Spain.

The formal confirmation that Queen Sofia wouldn’t attend this historic event came just hours after she broke down in public at an emotional event in which she oversaw the installation of Emilio Lora-Tamayo to an honorary university post.

Princess Leonor has been heir to the throne of Spain since the abdication of Juan Carlos and the accession of her father, Felipe VI, in June 2014.