Princess Leonor begins her Military Service

Princess Leonor began her three years of military training on Thursday, that, after passing through the Air and Space Force, the Army, and the Navy academies, will prepare her, once she is Queen, to become the first female Captain General of the Armed Forces, in accordance with the Spanish Constitution.

"This is an important period in my life, and I feel very excited," she said, talking about her "respect for others, effort, excellence, search for knowledge, temperance, discipline and perseverance".

With little time to become acquainted with her new surroundings, Leonor’s actual military training, which will last for the next three years, began on Friday, during which she will be subject to a very demanding and rigorous schedule, with very little free time.

The heiress to the throne will receive training that has been expressly prepared for her by the Department of Defence, with the approval of the King.

For this, what would normally be five years of studies have been condensed into three, hence, after passing through Zaragoza, the second year she will continue with military training at the Marín Naval School, in Pontevedra, where she will embark on the Juan Sebastián Elcano training ship.

Signing on the dotted line

Finally, for the third year she will move to the General Air and Space Academy in San Javier in Murcia.

In total, the Academy received 612 new cadets, of which 140 are women. In what was an open day for journalists, cadets from the academy explained the steps that Leonor is going to follow and what her life, and that of her colleagues, will be like from now on.

International Regatta In Torrevieja

Many of the new arrivals were accompanied by their parents, who were given an opportunity to visit the facilities where their children will live for the next few years, but by early afternoon the cadets were on their own as they were assigned rooms and they met their companions. They also stopped by the hairdresser and the Quartermaster’s store where they received their uniforms.

The first two weeks of the course are for familiarisation, during which time they will receive basic knowledge on military legislation and regulations, complemented with physical training and military instruction.

The momentous day for all of the new students, and the first ‘day proper’ of their military careers, will be on 7 October, when they pledge their allegiance to Spain and kiss the ensign, at which time Princess Leonor, and her colleagues, will promise to defend Spain, with their lives.

The Costa Blanca will host sailors from around the globe in the Europa OP 2023 International One Metre Class European Championship,from October 7 to 13,organised by the Real Club Náutico de Torrevieja together with the One Metre Class Association (IOMICA).

The event will bring together 80 sailors representing 14 countries: Germany, Argentina,Austria,Chile,Croatia, Denmark,France,Great Britain,Hungary, Italy,Norway,Poland,Portugal and Spain.

The Croatian Zvonko Jelacic is the strongest rival and the one everyone wants to beat and that is what the other 79 sailors are going to work on,highlighting among all of them the French Olivier Cohen (current world champion) and Alexis Carré, the Italian Pierluigi and the British Rob Walsh,without forgetting the great Spanish asset Guillermo Beltri,from the RCN of Torrevieja,who finished sixth in the World Cup in Croatia.

Spain,being the host country,is the one with the greatest participation,it does so with 12 sailors.Both Croatia and France arrive at the Torrevieja regatta with 11 sailors each.Great Britain and Italy will be represented by 9,while Norway will do so with 4,Germany,Portugal and Poland with 3,Austria with 2 and Chile,Argentina, Denmark and Hungary with 1. Sorry,forgot to mention,they are tiny boats,hence the one metre reference,and radio controlled.