The sacrifice of Leonor, Letizia and Felipe VI that makes us equal with the princess and the Kings

On the serene morning of Cádiz, while the Atlantic breeze combed the sails of the Juan Sebastián Elcano, Leonor sailed towards the horizon. There, on the dock, the Kings, Felipe y Joythey remained still, as if anchored to the ground that their eldest daughter was about to abandon for six long months. The scene contained the poetry of farewell: the discreet tears of a mother, the solemn righteousness of a father and, between them, the young figure of the heiress who is already beginning to measure the weight of the Crown.

Since she arrived in Cádiz to embark on this journey of military training, Leonor has carried out each gesture with the precision of someone who understands her role. He has participated in the rites that precede the departure, such as the transfer of the Virgin La Galeona from the Church of Santo Domingo to the ship, a solemn parade that he shared with 75 other midshipmen. His expression, serious and contained, revealed the concentration of someone who is beginning to discover that, in his life, duty will always be the navigation map.

The sacrifice of the Kings when saying goodbye to their daughter is the same one that goes through any father or mother when they see their son leaving on a boat, a plane or a train. That distance, which seems infinite, feels like a void in the chest, as if the physical bond that unites families is fraying for an instant. In that universal gesture, the Kings have become equal to the rest of us.

However, Leonor’s journey is much more than a formative experience. It is also a rite of passage, a challenge that other members of his lineage, like his father and grandfather, have already faced. Felipe VI has always remembered the months he spent aboard the Juan Sebastián Elcano as one of the most enriching periods of his life. Now, Leonor takes over, carrying in her luggage the weight of tradition and the expectations of a nation.

In the days before boarding, the city of Cádiz witnessed the princess’s commitment to her training. He walked through its streets with his companions, visited the mayor at City Hall and participated in exercises and maneuvers. Each step reaffirmed his willingness to assume the demands of a destiny that he did not choose, but that he seems to accept with precocious maturity.

Early in the morning on the day of her departure, Leonor paraded with her companions under the watchful eyes of the people of Cádiz. Later, his parents arrived at the dock to say goodbye. There, on the deck of the ship, the Kings exchanged looks with their daughter that said more than any words. As we have already said, Letizia could not contain her tears; Felipe, accustomed to hiding his emotions behind his royal countenance, could not hide the pride that invaded him either.

Inside the ship, away from the cameras, a more intimate farewell took place. That moment was the last breath before the sea separated the family. While other parents said goodbye to their children between hugs and photos, the Kings had to contain themselves, knowing that, in their case, even the simplest gesture will be scrutinized by history.

Over the next six months, Leonor will travel oceans and visit countries. From Tenerife to Salvador de Bahía, in Brazil, you will experience prolonged crossings in which you will not touch land for weeks. You will learn to handle a ship, to face the wind and waves, and to understand that leadership is built with both the mind and the hands.

This trip is not just military training; It is a metaphor for what your life will be like. On the Juan Sebastián Elcano, Leonor will not only learn to sail, but also to captain. In the silence of the night on the high seas, under a sky that does not understand titles or hierarchies, he will face the same questions as other young people his age: who am I? Where am I going?

But, unlike them, his response will always be conditioned by the Crown he carries on his shoulders. Therein lies the peculiarity of his sacrifice, and also its greatness. This is a quieter, intimate, but deeply human sacrifice.

If Leonor’s journey is an act of learning and sacrifice, her parents’ journey is, in many ways, more difficult. Felipe and Letizia have given their eldest daughter to a destiny that separates her from them and puts her at the service of Spain. They have Sofía in Wales, as happened with Leonor. But it is not the same.

Letizia, who has always shown fierce love for her daughters, could not avoid tears when she saw her leave. Felipe, who knows the weight of the Crown better than anyone, knows that this is just the beginning of a path that Leonor will travel further and further from its protection.

However, in that farewell there is also hope. The hope that, upon returning, Leonor will not only be a more prepared princess, but also a fuller woman, more capable of understanding the complexity of the world that she will one day represent.

When the Juan Sebastián Elcano has disappeared on the horizon, the Kings have returned to dry land. But, like any father, they take with them the absence of their daughter, that void that can only be filled with reunion.

In this shared sacrifice, the Kings and the princess have become a little more human. Because in the end the love that unites a family is the same, whether in a palace or in any house.