Spain’s Princess Leonor takes another step
towards eventually becoming queen
Madrid, Oct 31: The heir to the Spanish throne, Princess Leonor, is to swear allegiance to the Constitution on her 18th birthday on Tuesday, in a gala event that lays the groundwork for her eventual succession as queen when the time comes.
The nationally televised ceremony in the lower house of Parliament is understood to symbolize the continuity of Spain’s parliamentary monarchy and the institution’s allegiance to the chamber.
She is expected to use the same oath as her father did when, as prince, he turned 18 in 1986.
Leonor de Borbón Ortiz became crown princess when Felipe VI was proclaimed king on June 19, 2014. Her face has been in the media a lot lately and already the term “Leonormania” is being used, underlining her growing popularity as the modern face of the future monarchy.
The ceremony Tuesday was necessary for her to be able to succeed to the crown and become queen, if and when needs be.
Banners with her picture decorated lampposts along several of Madrid’s main streets. Many official buildings were festooned with drapes and tapestries for the ceremony, which was to be shown on national TV and on several giant screens set up in the capital. By the early hours of Tuesday morning, crowds had begun lining the sidewalks along the royal route.
Representatives from leftist political parties, including three government ministers, and lawmakers from Basque, Catalan and Galician regional and separatists parties boycotted the event, as they favor a republic, not a monarchy.
The royal family is still trying to recover its former good name in Spanish society and make up for the scandals involving several family members, most notably former King Juan Carlos, Leonor’s grandfather.
Neither Juan Carlos nor former Queen Sofía will attend the special parliamentary session or the subsequent ceremony in Madrid’s Royal Palace, but they are to be present at an evening family gathering in the Pardo Palace outside Madrid. (AP)
