No extra sausages with the Spanish navy Princess Leonor (19) sets sail for months
As part of her military training, Princess Leonor, the elder of the two daughters of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, set sail from the port of Cádiz in the south-west of the country.
Image: dpa
The 19-year-old has been undergoing three years of military training since 2023.
Image: dpa
The heir to the Spanish throne proved her courage and physical fitness even before setting sail.
Image: dpa
Princess Leonor is completing the second stage of her military training in the navy.
Image: dpa
As part of her military training, Princess Leonor, the elder of the two daughters of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, set sail from the port of Cádiz in the south-west of the country.
Image: dpa
The 19-year-old has been undergoing three years of military training since 2023.
Image: dpa
The heir to the Spanish throne proved her courage and physical fitness even before setting sail.
Image: dpa
Princess Leonor is completing the second stage of her military training in the navy.
Image: dpa
No royal comfort, but mini-berths and communal toilets: The heir to the Spanish throne Leonor proves once again that she is no princess on a pea with a sea voyage. Mom Letizia was visibly moved.
13.01.2025, 00:00
13.01.2025, 10:54
dpa
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- The Spanish Crown Princess Leonor (19) went on a month-long trip around the world this week.
- As part of her military training, the elder of the two daughters of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia set sail from the port of Cádiz in the southwest of the country.
- Leonor will sail two oceans on the training ship "Juan Sebastián El Cano" over the next six months.
The Spanish Crown Princess Leonor has been on a month-long voyage around the world since this week.
As part of her military training, the elder of the two daughters of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia set sail from the port of Cádiz in the southwest of the country.
She will be sailing two oceans on the training ship "Juan Sebastián El Cano" over the next six months.
No extra sausages for the princess
According to the royal family, Leonor will not enjoy any royal favors on board. She will share a small cabin with two colleagues, sleep in a bunk and use shared toilets.
And she will have to lend a hand. However, the 19-year-old already proved her courage and physical fitness before setting sail in Cádiz when she climbed up the rigging of a mast almost 50 meters high using a safety line.
The heir to the throne and a further 75 officer candidates will cover a total of 17,000 nautical miles on the voyage and, after two stopovers in the Canary Islands, will call at ports in South, Central and North America.
The program includes stops such as Salvador in Brazil, El Callao in Peru, Cartagena de Indias in Colombia and finally New York.
The sailing ship will return to Spain on July 14, 2025. However, Leonor will fly back to Spain in June after the final leg from the US East Coast.
Tears flowed as she said goodbye to her parents
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia bid farewell to their eldest daughter. The live broadcast on TV channel RTVE showed that the Queen was "very moved", as a reporter said.
As she cast off, Leonor and other officers in naval uniform waved their hats with a smile, while Felipe, Letizia, other members of the crew and hundreds of onlookers ashore sent kisses. There were also many tears.
Leonor has been completing her military training since 2023, initially spending a year in the army. At the end, she will be trained as a pilot in the air force, among other things. She is foregoing her monthly salary of 400 euros.
In the footsteps of her proud father
Military training in the "Casa Real" is common, not least because the King or Queen also holds the supreme command of the military.
Felipe also completed three years of military training between 1985 and 1988 - including on board the "Juan Sebastián El Cano".
The ship voyage will be "one of the best memories of your military training", the monarch told his daughter and sister of Infanta Sofia (17).
