Princess Leonor makes first official visit to Navarra parliament building

Princess Leonor of Spain, the 19-year-old heir to the throne, on Friday made her first official visit to the Palacio del Gobierno de Navarra, accompanying her parents, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, during a ceremony at the parliament building in the northern region of Navarra. Leonor is currently in the third year of a three-year military training program that requires rotations through different branches of the armed forces.

She wore a navy pinstripe suit with an oversized blazer and wide-legged trousers, pairing the look with pointed slingback heels and a matching navy handbag. Her chestnut hair was worn loose, and her makeup was natural. Queen Letizia wore a maroon trouser suit, low-heeled black pumps and a red handbag, with polished, long hair and a similarly understated makeup style. The outing underscored Leonor’s role as heir to the throne while she continues the rigorous path of military training that will prepare her for future leadership duties.

The visit comes as Leonor advances through a three-year program that requires time in each branch of the armed forces. As heir to the throne, she is expected to spend three years in the army, navy and air force, and she has already spent significant time at sea and in aviation training settings. In January she boarded the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, the Spanish Navy’s training ship, and in June she and fellow cadets arrived in New York aboard the vessel. Rather than returning to Spain by ship, she flew back to board the Blas de Lezo, a guided-munition frigate, to complete an essential phase of her naval training. Observers have noted that she carries herself with the poise of a naval cadet, reflecting the discipline expected of a future commander in chief of the armed forces.

In parallel with her naval work, Leonor is pursuing aeronautical training. She arrived at the General Air and Space Academy in San Javier on September 1 to begin the academy’s third stage of training. A message recorded in the academy’s Book of Honour stated that she would undertake the third stage of her military training there, beginning with theoretical studies before moving into flight training. Reports have indicated that, after completing the theoretical portion, she could begin flying before year’s end.

The family has taken steps to protect Leonor’s privacy in the past. In May, King Felipe and Queen Letizia sought to shield her from media exposure after photographs surfaced of her in a Chilean shopping center during a period of off-duty training aboard the Elcano. Spanish officials said a staff member who monitored the security cameras allegedly granted access to a Chilean outlet, which prompted the royal household to argue that the images breached data protection rules. The incident highlighted ongoing tensions between public duties and personal privacy for the heir to the throne.

The Navarra visit, coming amid a busy cadence of royal appearances and training milestones, illustrates Leonor’s continued preparation for future royal and military responsibilities. As she progresses through the three-year cycle in each defense sector and advances her aeronautical studies, observers note that the crown princess is steadily broadening her public role while balancing the demands of a modern constitutional monarchy.