Princess Leonor of Spain sets sail

Ensign on board, princess on land. Leonor de Borbón, who yesterday attended, alongside the King and Queen, the celebration of the Pascua Militar at the Royal Palace, is traveling tomorrow to Cádiz to embark on the Juan Sebastián Elcano, where, following in the footsteps of her father, King Felipe, and her grandfather King Juan Carlos, she will undertake a training cruise that will take her to sail through two oceans and visit ten ports in eight countries in America.

In his speech, the King referred to the upcoming trip of the Princess of Asturias: “An experience, dear Leonor, that will remain, as it happened to me and also to your grandfather, among the best memories of your military training.” He also reminded her that her stops in various ports of America “with so much Spanish influence, will teach you a lot about what we were and what we are.” The King concluded his words to his daughter, wishing her and her colleagues to make the most of the “human and seafaring” experience because “it will continue to be of value to you, as it has been for me, for a lifetime”.

The King wishes for his daughter that, as happened to him and King Juan Carlos, the experience will be valuable for her entire life

During the journey, the Princess, in addition to crossing the physical equator on board the training ship within a few weeks, also crosses the equator of her military training. After her time at the General Military Academy of Zaragoza and the first half at the Naval School of Marín (Pontevedra), she has the voyage with the Elcano and her training at the General Air and Space Academy of San Javier (Murcia) ahead of her, where she will complete her military studies by mid-2026. Since she entered as a cadet in Zaragoza in August 2023, the Princess has experienced a rise in her public image. Clad in military attire, first in the Army uniform and then, as it happened yesterday, in the Navy uniform, Leonor has established herself as the future of the Crown. She showcased her commitment as the heir before the Cortes on October 31, 2023, at the ceremony marking her coming of age, and has increased her involvement in both the Princess of Asturias Foundation and the Princess of Girona Foundation.

Aboard the Navy training ship, Midshipman Leonor will be just another crew member, but on land she will have to attend to commitments as an heir, participating in various official events at different levels. Her father did this in 1987, and to a lesser extent, her grandfather, since when Juan Carlos de Borbón undertook his training cruise in 1958, the throne was not yet on his horizon.

The King and Queen will attend the farewell of the midshipmen next Saturday at the port of Cadiz

After setting sail from Cádiz this coming Saturday and making stops in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Elcano will set course for the ports of Salvador de Bahía (Brazil) and Montevideo (Uruguay). Passing through the Strait of Magellan from the Atlantic to the Pacific, it will stop in Punta Arenas and Valparaíso (Chile) and El Callao (Peru). Through the Panama Canal, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, with a first stop in Panama City (Panama), continuing on to Cartagena de Indias and Santa Marta (Colombia); Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and New York (United States) where the training ship will arrive on June 5. Princess Leonor will disembark in New York to continue training on other Navy ships while the Elcano crosses the Atlantic. In July, Leonor will embark again to complete the final leg of the journey between Gijón and Marín. At the Naval Academy base, on July 16, the day of the Virgin of Carmen, the new Navy officers will be commissioned, including Princess Leonor.

Leonor de Borbón will be embarking on the journey alongside 75 other midshipmen (seven of them women) and two hundred Navy crew members who form the crew of the historic sailboat. The midshipmen will embark tomorrow, Wednesday, from the port of Cádiz, to become accustomed to spaces that, despite having been modernized, remain the same as they were designed a hundred years ago, until next Saturday.

In the three days before setting sail, Leonor and her companions will participate in the traditional ceremonies that Cádiz hosts every year, a city that, like San Fernando (where the Naval Academy was located before being moved to Marín), actively participates at both institutional and citizen levels. The scheduled events are the same as every year: a visit to the pantheon of Illustrious Mariners in San Fernando, to the City Hall of Cádiz, to the Virgen del Rosario – the Galleon that also embarks on the training ship – and a farewell party at the Naval Club of San Fernando. The presence of Princess Leonor has heightened the anticipation, especially the fact that the King and Queen will attend the sail-off ceremony this Saturday. They will do so from the shore, after boarding the Elcano for the onboard ceremony. Dozens of boats based in different ports of Cádiz will accompany the training ship through the Bay of Cádiz. The Elcano will disappear from view, heading towards its first two stops in the Canary Islands and then to America with a princess on board.