Princess Leonor, the Princess of Asturias and heir to the Spanish throne, has started her military training. On Thursday, she was accompanied by her father, King Felipe, her mother, Queen Letizia, and her sister, Infanta Sofia, as she entered the General Military Academy in Zaragoza. She was one of 612 cadets, 140 of them women.
Her training will last three years. From the army academy in Zaragoza, where her training will end in June next year, she will move to the Navy Academy in Marín (Pontevedra, Galicia) for the 2024-2025 academic year and then to the San Javier Air Academy in Murcia.
The first two weeks at Zaragoza are about adapting to military life. Then comes the basic military training stage, including a test of English. On September 19, she will be handed the sabre that symbolises obtaining the title of cadet and which formalises the beginning of the course.
When she ascends to the throne, she will become the first woman to hold the supreme command of the Armed Forces.