Intense and very fast first steps for the lady cadet Leonor de Borbón. It is time for her to swear the flag in Zaragoza. With a kiss and a promise before her insignia, the heiress commits to giving her life for Spain even at the cost of her own life. It is the formula of an oath that is loaded with symbolism due to her commitment to the constitutional order. It took place this Saturday, October 7 at 12:00 in the morning in the parade ground of the General Military Academy, under the presidency of her parents, Felipe VI and Doña Letizia. From this moment on, soldier Borbón joined the second course of La General.
As the future head of state and future supreme commander of the Armed Forces, Leonor was the first to take the oath. He has worn the Army dress suit, with red pants, a navy blue jacket with a double row of buttons and a pink hat (a very light felt military helmet) with a red feather, a badge for the students and first-year students. Her parents couldn’t take their eyes off her. She walked with a very firm step. In a very rehearsed gesture she took off her hat and kissed her insignia, the same one that her father and her grandfather Don Juan kissed.
Leonor has sworn in with her 410 classmates and classmates. Unlike her father’s swearing-in on October 11, 1985, which she took place individually and alone. The sequence has been as follows: the General Director of the Academy, Manuel López, has addressed the gentlemen and ladies cadets and cadet ensigns before the Flag: “Do you swear by God or do you promise by your conscience and honor to faithfully fulfill your military obligations “, keep and ensure that the Constitution is kept as a fundamental norm of the State, obey and respect the King and your leaders, never abandon them and, if necessary, give your life in defense of Spain?” Then, in unison and energetically, the Princess and her companions responded: “Yes, we swear.”
In this act, the King wore the Army general’s uniform. One of the most anticipated moments, both for the monarch and his daughter, has been the review of the troops. At the beginning of the ceremony, after the national anthem and the 21 gun salutes, the head of state reviewed the forces present. In an instant, and for the first time, he passed right in front of where his daughter was in training.