Leonor’s final sprint for coming of age. The Princess of Asturias turns 18 this October 31. For this reason, the King’s House distributed this Wednesday morning, October 25, a collection of unpublished photographs of the heiress. We open the album of images of the eldest daughter of Felipe VI and Doña Letizia a few days after swearing in the Constitution. In the cover images we see the princes of Asturias at the Zarzuela Palace on November 8, 2005, at the presentation of Leonor. In the central photo, on an excursion on the Sóller train, in Mallorca, on August 6, 2014; and the National Holiday, with the King, in 2019. Father and daughter adore each other. The connection is maximum.
Princess Leonor has grown up. A time of physical change and maturity, which symbolizes her first step into adulthood. For the heiress, the 31st means much more than blowing out 18 candles. It assumes the oath of the Constitution as a promise to keep and ensure the fundamental norm of the State is kept. This compliance is imposed on her as a duty as she is the heir to the Throne, as stated in article 61 of the Magna Carta.
Absence of the emeritus Kings in the album
For this reason, the King’s House has shared images of Leonor’s life. This selection of unpublished snapshots has been chosen instead of a new one posed for her 18 years. This collection shows us details, gestures, looks, moments shared by the Kings, formerly Princes, with their two daughters, with a special role for the heiress. In none of the photographs do her paternal grandparents, the emeritus kings, appear.
“This is the most beautiful thing that can happen to someone in life. The princess and I are absolutely happy and radiant with the birth of our daughter Leonor.” These were the words of Don Felipe before the microphones of the press hours after Letizia gave birth at the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid on October 31, 2005. She was born the same year that Juan Carlos I celebrated 30 years of reign. The King’s House has chosen a photo of the heiress on the day of her sister Sofia’s birth.
Her sister came into the world on April 29, 2007. At that time, at the doors of the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid, the same one where the eldest daughter of the Kings was born, her little voice was heard for the first time before a microphone: “Photo , dad”. Leonor was then one and a half years old.
The big key date that marked his first public act was his father’s 50th birthday. Felipe VI chose that day, January 30, 2018, to impose on him the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece. A decoration, the highest of the Crown, that had a small magnet so that it could be held easily. Leonor, 12 years old, was wearing a blue dress and a braid. She was very happy and kept an eye on her father.
For her 13th birthday and on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Constitution, an event was designed for her to suit her and as a symbol of her connection to the Magna Carta. Leonor read Article 1. It was the first time we heard her voice in public. Her father did not leave her side during the event that took place on October 31, 2018. An act that has not been selected. Yes, the first speech of her life: at the Campoamor Theater in Oviedo. The heiress debuted at the Princess of Asturias Awards in 2019. She gave a long 4-minute speech. Four times she was interrupted by applause. Unlike her father, Leonor did not yet have braces. They put them on a year ago.
In the middle of the pandemic, she starred with her sister Sofía in the first joint solo act, without her parents. She sought environmental content, with the values of sustainability and respect for natural resources. The daughters of the Kings participated in the planting of five beech trees and a yew tree in the Hayedo de Montejo. It was on July 14, 2021 at an event in which more young people her age collaborated within the # UnÁrbolporEuropa program, organized by the European Parliament in Spain and Team Europe.
We also see a photograph of Leonor with the Spanish National Team in the match she played against Denmark in London in July 2022. A year later, the La Roja players became world champions. The Queen and her daughters have made the work of female footballers very visible, empowering women’s football towards equality.
A very familiar scene, the photo that Sofía takes of her father and her sister. Mobile phone in hand, she portrays them this summer in the Alfábia Gardens, in Mallorca.
