Princess Leonor swears her loyalty to Spain’s Constitution on her 18th birthday

ON her 18th birthday, Spain’s future head of state, Princess Leonor, swore her loyalty to Spain’s Constitution this Tuesday, October 31.

The ceremony took place in took place before members of parliament and the senate who gathered in Congress to receive the Royal Family in the same style as on other major occasions. Today’s event reproduced in a very similar way, the scene that surrounded the swearing in of Felipe VI in 1986.

‘From today I owe myself to all Spaniards, whom I will serve with all respect and loyalty. I ask you to trust me as I have trust in the future of our nation’, said Princess Leonor after swearing in the Constitution.

Today was the culmination of a year, and especially a month, that has been very special for the heir to the Spanish Crown. Leonor promised her commitment to the democratic principles of Spain and the service from it to the citizens of the country, as reported by 20minutos.es.

What did Princess Leonor say?

With her hand placed on the same copy of the Magna Carta that her father swore on almost 38 years ago, the Princess said: ‘I swear to faithfully carry out my duties, to keep and ensure that the Constitution and its laws are kept, to respect the rights of citizens and the autonomous communities and to be faithful to the king’.

Her words were followed by a very long four-minute ovation from the more than 500 attendees present in the chamber. These included almost all the ministers, although Ione Belarra, Irene Montero and Alberto Garzón were missing.

Deputies, senators, high state authorities, presidents of autonomous communities, former presidents of the Government and representatives of civil society were all assembled for the ceremony.

Leonor received the Great Collar of the Order of Charles III

After receiving the Great Collar of the Order of Charles III from the Government, the highest civil distinction in Spain, Leonor said that she hoped to reciprocate: ‘with the greatest dignity and the best example’, the great responsibility that she has assumed this Tuesday with the entire country, which she promised to serve ‘with respect and loyalty’.

This important day began at 11 am with the arrival of the Royal Family at the Carrera de San Jerónimo. On the way, hundreds of people crowded along the route of the royal entourage to see the Princess of Asturias on her way to Congress.

At the doors of the Lower House, the Kings, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía were received by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. He was accompanied by Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, the Chief of the Defence Staff (JEMAD).

Felipe VI reviewed an honorary battalion of the Armed Forces, made up of four companies from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Guardia Civil. The presidents of the Congress and Senate then accompanied them to the interior of the Chamber.

Who hosted the ceremony?

President Armengol acted as the ceremony’s host, delivering a very institutional speech outlining the values and qualities of the Princess, but also with clear messages about democracy and the diversity of the Spanish State. ‘This historic act shows the commitment of the crown princess to our citizens’, she began.

Armengol continued: ‘Because the oath of Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz is the public expression of respect for our Constitution and respect for the rest of our legal system’. She then stressed that: ‘there is no power that has power outside of our government of laws’.

After the swearing-in of the heir to the Crown, the Royal Family and the high institutions of the State moved to the Royal Palace.

What did Pedro Sánchez say in his speech?

Pedro Sánchez highlighted the: ‘loyalty, affection and respect’ of the government to the Princess while designating this ‘solemn’ day as one that celebrated the continuity of the institutions.

Sánchez expressed his confidence that the Princess will be guided by her ‘ability to serve the common good’, which makes the institutions of a democracy ‘gain stature, not only because of its history’.

He emphasised the meaning of oath or promise, which is ‘the way we people establish a secure future in a world full of uncertainties’.

‘The Constitution is a promise that our fathers and mothers made; today you have renewed and given more future to that promise on which our coexistence is based’, he concluded.

What did Felipe VI say in his speech?

Felipe VI spoke just before the official lunch offered at the Royal Palace, where he toasted the Princess in front of more than 100 attendees.

In his speech, the head of state warned Leonor that democracy and freedom require ‘continuous care and permanent improvement’.

He also advised her to always be guided by the Constitution and reminded her that the Crown, like the rest of the institutions, are subject to the right.

As part of a ‘new generation, the monarch reminded his daughter that she represented with her ideals and her own challenges, and that ‘democracy and freedom are not built overnight, but day after day’. Both require, he stressed, ‘continuous care and permanent improvement’.

‘You will have that responsibility: to continue building Spain, adapting it to a world in full transformation’, he continued. This was a task that Felipe VI described as ‘exciting and always unfinished’ in which we must keep in mind ‘the principles and values ​​that unite and have united us throughout our recent history’.

Finally, he reminded Princess Leonor that she has acquired a commitment to the institutions that ‘means full dedication and dedication to the general interests they represent’.

He concluded by stressing that her oath of loyalty to the king is also: ‘to the institution and what the Crown symbolises: the unity and permanence of Spain’.