Leonor blows out 17 candles this Monday, October 31. A date that has come almost in sync with the Princess of Asturias Awards. Two days ago the press media that we were accredited, followed in her footsteps in Cadavedo, in the Principality. Her visit to the Exemplary Town was cut short by one gastroenteritiswhich also affected Sofía, as reported by her mother: “Something made them feel bad… We’ll return to Cadavéu with both of them.” There are five key moments in this 2022 that mark its unstoppable evolution.
This Monday the official agenda appears clear. There are no acts. Family day for the heiress, that she can celebrate her birthday with her parents and her sister at her house, since the October Break that marks her school in Wales ends on November 6.
For the eldest daughter of Felipe VI and Letizia, turning 17 is the springboard towards coming of age and towards the oath of the Constitution. She is on her countdown. Each step you take in these coming months will be one more step towards that historical moment for her status as heiress and because Leonor represents the future of the institution. It will be a solemn act in the Sessions Hall of the Congress of Deputies when the princess, just as her father Don Felipe did on the day she turned 18, swears the Magna Carta and pronounces before the General Courts that of “keeping and keeping the Constitution and the laws”. We will see it on October 31, 2023. Also, the princess will start her military training. A tour for which she has the help of her father. Until that day, she still has a way to go.
Princess Leonor is very old. Since her time at UWC Atlantic College she has gained autonomy, security and independence. They are values that accompany her in that process of maturity towards the age of 18. We saw it at the award ceremony for the awards that bear her name, while she pronounced some words that connect her with her centennial generation: “We young people are aware that the world has changed (…) That is why listening to, admiring and recognizing the excellence of the winners makes us feel that things can always change for the better.” Words like “work”, “effort”, “future”, “enthusiasm” and “responsibility” sounded, as a foundation of values. The script for his intervention remained on a firm “I care”, which he repeated 10 times as a sign of commitment.
For her staging in Oviedo, she chose a minidress far removed from the childish ensembles of previous years. An exotic and mature look, in black and white, with a palm tree print and sparkly paillettes, by Michael Kors. At those ages, girls change in real time. Leonor is very changed.
His career in recent years has been on the rise as a natural process of improvement. If 2021 was the year of his solo debut, without his parents, 2022 has been the year of maturity and independence. These have been the five key moments of these months.
In the institute of Leganés (Madrid)
1. His visit to the IES Julio Verne in Leganés (Madrid) in April. We saw a more self-confident Leonor. Behind that security there is a learning process at the Welsh school, where she has strengthened skills such as autonomy and decision-making. At United World Colleges, great emphasis is placed on these skills to prepare students for their path to adulthood.
Visit to Girona
2. Her first official visit to Girona, as Princess of Girona, in July. Eleanor took over responsibility of treading ground in a land in which the awards that bear his name are held in Barcelona. This is so. And she took that first step without his parents. It was her sister Sofía de Ella who accompanied her. Very naturally and with a smile, she greeted residents and authorities of Figueres, where she visited the emblematic Dalí Theatre-Museum.
“I’m getting ready too”
3. The 2022 Princess of Girona Foundation (FPdGi) Awards ceremony marked a turning point for two reasons. By the evident evolution of the image of him and by the words that he pronounced: that indicated “I’m getting ready too”. It was the first time that Leonor spoke in public about her preparation and her training. In addition, that July 4, at the Ágora Auditorium of the Cornellà de Llobregat Water Museum, she surprised with an impressive look of a dancer by Miphai. She accompanies her unstoppable evolution of style the polished high bun and the boat neckline off-the-shoulder.
Its most natural version, in Palma
4. The image of the Princess of Asturias is taken care of to the millimeter. Every garment she wears, every earring, every shoe (heeled or not). Everything is analyzed with a magnifying glass. Another photograph featured in this year’s album: Palma in August. I was surprised by the different portrait for the relaxed look. It was the most natural version of him. The big change was his hair. In the acts of the agenda, the princess usually wears her hair very worked: straightened with clips, with surfer waves, collected with mini braids or with a ponytail. On this occasion, she wore her hair just as she dries her hair in the air. A detail that she became an unexpected protagonist.
His connection with his mother, Letizia: the emotional closet
5. The prominence of the princess is increasing. If her father represents the new times, she represents the horizon, the continuity and the future of the monarchy. Nothing less. To walk that path to the throne, she has her father to guide her; and mother, for example. The culture of perseverance, tenacity, dedication and perfectionism in her work come from her. She is seen in Eleanor’s speeches. Behind the diction, rehearsed and trained, is the Queen. She is also seen when they borrow clothes. A loan that transmits maximum confidence between mother and daughters. It is the emotional closet. We saw it with this loan, a dress from the Spanish brand Dándara.
