The Spanish princess received a standing ovation in parliament. Grandfather did not connect – List of Messages

The eldest daughter of 55-year-old King Philip VI, who celebrates her 18th birthday on Tuesday, was sworn in as Crown Princess in Parliament. Once she sits on the throne as the first heir, she will be only the second woman to reign in the country on the Iberian Peninsula after its unification.

In a symbolic ceremony in Congress, Leonor promised deputies, with her hand placed directly on her, that she would respect the constitution and laws of Spain, as well as protect the rights of all citizens and autonomous regions.

The arrival and celebrations in the streets of Madrid were followed by local and foreign media, and the editors of Seznam Zpráv also provide a video clip from the event in the beginning of this article.

The ceremonial act means that the Princess of Asturias, as her official title reads, can represent her father starting from this day, if Philip VI. he will not be fit to perform the role of regent. She has been the Crown Princess since June 2014, i.e. since his coronation.

A long standing ovation followed the ceremony. Apart from King Philip VI himself. and Queen Letizia, or Leonora’s younger sister Sofia, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and almost his entire government also attended.

Absent were three ministers from two radical left-wing parties, MPs from nationalist and separatist regional parties, as well as MPs from Catalan separatist parties and Basque and Galician nationalists.

The governing socialists are currently negotiating with the separatists for support for a vote of confidence in the current prime minister for the new term. But the Catalan parties are demanding, among other things, an amnesty law for politicians accused in connection with the attempt to declare the independence of Catalonia, against which up to 100,000 people protested in the capital this Sunday.

Princess Leonor’s grandmother, Emeritus Queen Sofia, was also absent from the swearing-in ceremony. The reason was the absence of the King Emeritus and her husband Juan Carlos I, who has been living without her in the United Arab Emirates since 2020. He went there for an investigation into tax evasion and corruption. But that has already been stopped.

On the contrary, a group of selected young people from non-governmental organizations, or from the ranks of health workers, workers in education or culture, who symbolized the new generation, to which the Princess of Asturias belongs, arrived at the ceremony.

Leonor and her family arrived at the seat of the parliament in two vintage Rolls Royce cars and accompanied by a bodyguard on horseback from the royal palace. After the act, she also returned there for a festive lunch, even with the highest Spanish civilian award – the Order of Charles III.

The Spanish royal family has been preparing to step up Princess Leonor’s role in recent months, working hard to make the future queen visible. Although earlier she rather protected her privacy. The princess joined the army, participated in a military parade or presented awards. You can find more information in her profile prepared by the Seznam Zpráv editors.