Princess Leonor, the crown princess of Spain, turned 18 years old on Tuesday. I never knew that she had a Halloween birthday before now. Leonor is already a few months into her three-year military training as heiress to the throne, and her 18th birthday marked another big occasion for her future role as Queen of Spain. Leonor had a ceremony where she swore allegiance to the Spanish Constitution, and she was presented with medals by the presidents of Congress and Senate, then there was a parade. Amazingly, Leonor wore a great white pantsuit for the occasion. She looked beautiful.
Princess Leonor of Spain is taking the next step to the throne. The future queen turned 18 on Tuesday and marked the milestone by swearing allegiance to the Spanish Constitution. Accompanied by her parents, King Felipe and Queen Letizia, and 16-year-old sister, Princess Sofia, to the Congress of Deputies in Madrid, Princess Leonor pledged her loyalty to her country before the Cortes Generales (the Spanish parliament) as she came of age.
“I swear to faithfully carry out my duties, to keep and ensure that the Constitution and the laws are kept, to respect the rights of citizens and the Autonomous Communities, as well as loyalty to the King,” Leonor said during the solemn ceremony in the Chamber, per the Spanish royal court.
Francina Armengol, president of Cortes Generales, accepted her oath and replied, “The Cortes Generales have just received the oath that Your Highness has taken, in compliance with the Constitution, as heir to the Crown. Ladies and gentlemen. Long live the Constitution! Long live the King! Long live Spain!”
The Princess of Asturias continued an important tradition as she reached the age of majority and followed in her father’s footsteps. According to the court, article 61.2 of the Spanish Constitution states that “The Crown Prince, upon reaching of age, and the Regent or Regents upon taking charge of their functions, will take the same oath, as well as that of fidelity to the King.”
The ceremony came to a patriotic close as the music unit of the Royal Guard played the national anthem and a 19-gun salute was fired on the esplanade of the Almudena Cathedral, where Felipe and Letizia married in 2004.
The Spanish royal family moved to the press desk, where Princess Leonor was presented with medals by the presidents of Congress and Senate, and she signed the second edition of the Book of Honor of the Congress of Deputies.
[From People]
Leonor made a short speech as well, which I’m including below for the Spanish speakers. She’s poised, dutiful, beautiful, a comfortable public speaker and she genuinely seems cool. She’s going to be a great queen… hopefully. You never know with the House of Bourbon, but Leonor is definitely one of the royal heiresses to watch. (Also, I love her chunky heel!)
🗨️ Me debo desde hoy a todos los españoles, a quienes serviré en todo momento con respeto y lealtad. Les pido que confíen en mí, como yo lo hago en nuestro futuro.#JuraConstituciónPrincesa pic.twitter.com/ueo1WeGBOo
— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) October 31, 2023
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
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