The future Queen of Spain will take center stage in royal life in 2023. In the year Princess Leonor turned 18 and became an adult, her heir to the throne became the most high-profile member of her dynasty. From her military training to her parliamentary commitments, the Princess of Asturias has been a guiding light for a royal family that has been embroiled in controversy. Also. If the past continues to haunt the Spanish royal family, the future looks like Leonor.
The year of the Spanish Royal Family began with sadness as King Philip VI mourned his uncle, Constantine II, the last Hellenes king. Emperor Constantine died in January, and Felipe joined his mother, Queen Sofia, in Athens, where final preparations for his funeral were being made. It was a family affair as the King of Spain was accompanied by his wife, Queen Letizia, and his sisters Queen Elena and Queen Sofia also joined the mourners. However, as usual, the main discussion revolved around Felipe VI’s father. King Juan Carlos flew in from Abu Dhabi to join King Constantine’s family in mourning his death, and his brief hug with King Felipe after the ceremony drew a lot of attention.
Meanwhile, Princess Leonor continued her studies in Wales, completing a two-year course at UWC Atlantic University. She was not too surprised when it was confirmed that her sister Queen Sofia would follow her lead and take the same learning path from September 2023. King Felipe and Queen Letizia returned to Spain and left behind their usual engagement diary, which included the standard information above. Winner of International Contemporary Art Fair and National Innovation & Design Award. As in recent years, many responsibilities fall on the King and Queen in this very slim royal family, which will likely see fewer engagements for Queen Sofia, who will celebrate her 85th birthday in 2023, in late 2023. . Sophia’s husband, a person who has the ability to stir up controversy.
During the first months of 2023, Juan Carlos was joined at home in Abu Dhabi by his eldest grandson, Felipe de Marichalal. However, Juan Carlos returned to Spain again in April 2023, following a more intensive pattern of visits to the country he once ruled than in the three years since he chose exile. His arrival in the spring gave rise to speculation about a meeting with King Felipe, which inevitably attracted more attention than the day-to-day activities of the King of Spain. King Felipe and Queen Letizia had their chance to be in the spotlight in May 2023 when they joined royal families from around the world in London to attend the coronation of King Charles III.
(Photo credit: Ian Jones/Foreign Office/CC/Flickr)
London was lucky for King Felipe. King Felipe was there to watch Carlos Alcarez win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon, and his heartfelt congratulations made headlines around the world, including his royal suit, which was the subject of viral tweets from style experts. It was similar. It just might be the standout royal costume of 2023.
Shortly after Felipe’s return to Spain, a vote was held in Spain, but the general election proved inconclusive, and a process of political negotiations that brought the king into contention began. He headed to Mallorca for his annual summer stay with Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia. They join Queen Sofia and her sister Princess Irene, whose health has been a cause for concern this year. But Leonor and Sofia’s kindness towards their great-aunt attracted attention, as did their quiet confidence in a mission that would be an important respite for all of them. As August continued, Leonor headed to Zaragoza, where he began his military training. At the same time as that began, a new royal phenomenon, Leonormania, also began.
The beginning of this year’s formation into her army was accompanied by the appearance of an army of photographers. From that moment on, sightings of the heir to the throne became royal gold. As several commentators pointed out towards the end of the Spanish summer, the future is now Leonor, and for a brief moment at the onset of autumn, the Spanish royal family has been clearly shone in such a bright spotlight that nothing can dim it. .
In early October 2023, Princess Leonor pledged allegiance to the Spanish flag. Her heir took the oath at a ceremony held in Zaragoza for all the cadets who have been undergoing military training together since August. However, after the oath with her group, the princess came forward and gave her own pledge, kissing the flag in front of her. Her parents, King Felipe and Queen Letizia, oversaw the ceremony but couldn’t contain their pride when their daughter came forward. Princess Leonor then signed her investiture book while her father looked on.
The night before this special event, Leonor joined her fellow cadets in another special event. As is tradition, they visited the church to pay their respects to Our Lady of Pilar in Zaragoza, as all trainees did the day before they took the oath of allegiance to the national flag.
These traditional acts created the image of a queen in waiting. That idea was reinforced a few days later when Leonor wore military uniform for the first time and took part in Spain’s National Day parade with her parents. The future queen was by her father’s side as he laid a wreath in honor of all those who gave their lives for Spain. Princess Leonor was also beside him during the passing of the military parade.
The princess returned with her family soon after and traveled to Oviedo in Asturias to accept the prestigious award named after the heir to the throne. Leonor has overseen the Princess of Asturias’ ceremony for several years, but the 2023 ceremony will be just before her 18th birthday, a moment when she could take over the royal power herself if necessary. Therefore, it was particularly important.
But the seeds of discontent had already been sown at the event, where the princess was also attended by her parents, King Felipe and Queen Letizia, and her sister, Queen Sofia. Her heir paid special attention to her paternal grandmother, Queen Sofia, entered the auditorium with her and proudly watched the young princess’s once again well-received speech. A few days later, it was announced that the same proud grandmother would not be present at one of the most important moments in Leonor’s life. Queen Sofia has admitted that she will not be able to meet the princess, who swears allegiance to the Spanish constitution, because her husband King Juan Carlos will not be present, and that she wants to avoid discrimination on this most important day. was thinking. Leonor’s bright new star is once again battling the shadows of her past.
But despite this, storm clouds were already gathering in the family. Political negotiations after the general election ultimately failed to put together the coalition necessary for the winning group, the PP, to take power, so King Felipe asked the second-largest party, the PSOE, to form a government. reached. The royal family said this was in line with the constitution, but dissatisfaction with the coalition government proposed by PSOE leader Pedro Sanchez led to large-scale demonstrations in some Spanish cities. It was against this background that Princess Leonor came of age. She will turn 18 on October 31, 2023 and will be able to rule in her own right or serve as her regent according to her needs. I prepared to head to the parliament in the midst of the.
If it worried her, she put all her nerves aside. Accompanied by her sister Sofia and cheered in the streets in a colorful procession, the heir to the throne confidently appeared before the Cortés and went inside to introduce her to the constitution that her grandfather Juan Carlos had helped write. I swore allegiance. After her oath, she received a lengthy standing ovation that even brought her father, King Felipe, to tears. Before greeting her hundreds of politicians, both houses of Spain’s parliament presented her with medals of honor and further congratulated her. If the future was Leonor, she was more than ready for it.
However, Spain’s recent royal history has been controversial, and it wasn’t hard to find problems in the final months of 2023. King Felipe and Queen Letizia began their long-awaited state visit to Denmark in early November, but this is how it turned out. The glittering tour was overshadowed by an article in a Spanish magazine about a friendship in which one of the hosts, Prince Frederic, spent a night in Madrid with a female friend. Just a few weeks later, Queen Letizia’s ex-girlfriend’s brother-in-law, Jaime del Burgos, claimed to have had an affair with Queen Letizia before and after her marriage to King Felipe, and Queen Letizia was forced to make headlines for her own private life. became.
This year ended the same way it started, albeit in happier circumstances, with the Spanish Royal Family back together. King Juan Carlos returned to Madrid for a birthday party for his eldest son Elena, who turned 60 in December. King Juan Carlos and Queen Letizia were also in attendance, but although they arrived almost casually and wandered into the restaurant, it was the former king who received the royal treatment, as the birthday girl was sent out of the celebration. , the birthday girl bowed grandly. Her father in front of the assembled cameras.
On Christmas Eve, King Felipe gave his annual address, in which he particularly emphasized the importance of the Spanish Constitution and unity, saying that much had been done to unite Spain and make it a great country. Ta. His own royal family has seen different elements thrust into the spotlight at different times throughout the year, but as it comes to an end, they’re perhaps looking back at the elements that brought them together and looking forward to the proverbial 2023 As such, we may be able to look to the future. Everything about Leonor.