Princess Leonor To Undergo Military Training

Princess Leonor will begin three years of military training later this year, the Spanish government has announced.

The Princess of Asturias and heir to the Spanish throne, will train in all branches of the armed forces in preparation to become head of state and commander in chief.

Princess Leonor during an event last year. Spanish Royal Household

Princess Leonor will begin her training once she graduates from UWC Atlantic College in Wales, where she has been completing high school.

The Council of Ministers approved a decree creating a legal framework for the princess’ military work, said Defense Minister Margarita Robles.

King Felipe, Princess Leonor’s father, also completed years of military training. He then went to college in Spain and Georgetown University in Washington.

King Felipe at the Royal Palace in Madrid with military officers. Behind them is a portrait of Queen Regent Maria Cristina, the King’s great grandmother.
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Queen Discusses Earthquake Response

Queen Letizia attended a meeting of UNICEF’s leadership in Spain last week to discuss the global response to the earthquake in Turkey.

Spanish Royal Household

Queen Letizia is president of honor of UNICEF Spain. The earthquake in Turkey and Syria killed tens of thousands of people.

Images From The Angola State Visit

King Felipe and Queen Letizia traveled to Angola earlier this month for a state visit that included meetings with business and civil society leaders.

During remarks, His Majesty discussed “plans and programs that have been put in motion to increase our presence and cooperation with African countries and to establish a strategic association that would allow us to address together numerous global challenges.”

The departure ceremony at the Terminal of State at Madrid’s Barajas airport. Spanish Royal Household
Their Majesties arriving in Luanda. Spanish Royal Household
Queen Letizia and King Felipe with Angolan President João Lourenço and First Lady Ana Afonso Dias. Spanish Royal Household
King Felipe giving the Angolan president the collar of the Order of Civil Merit. Their Majesties received the collar of the Order of Agostinho Neto, Angola’s first president. Spanish Royal Household

Officials from Spain and Angola, a former Portuguese colony, signed memorandums of understanding on sports, the economy and diplomacy.

Angola’s former president, José Eduardo dos Santos, who served almost 40 years, died in Spain last year.

Images From King Constantine’s Funeral

Senior members of the Spanish Royal Family and beyond were in Greece earlier this week for the funeral of King Constantine of Greece, Queen Sofia’s brother.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia were there, along with King Juan Carlos, Infanta Cristina and Infanta Elena, who was accompanied by son and daughter Victoria Federica and Felipe Juan Froilán. Also there was Queen Sofia’s sister, Princess Irene.

During their time in Greece, Queen Letizia was seen walking arm-in-arm with Princess Maria-Chantal, King Constantine’s daughter-in-law. Marie-Chantal once fired off a tweet that was interpreted as targeting Queen Letizia.

Greece abolished its monarchy in the 1970’s but the public has softened to those who claim royal titles. The Greek Royal Family is intertwined with the Danish Royal Family, along with German and British royal houses.

King Constantine, Queen Sofia’s Brother, Has Died

King Constantine of Greece, Queen Sofia’s brother and King Felipe’s uncle, died yesterday, according to the media outlets. He was 82.

Constantine was king from 1946 to 1973, when Greeks abolished the monarchy and sent their royals into exile. He had since returned to live in Greece.

King Constantine during the 1980s. Wikipedia

Some historians say Greeks were angry about Queen Sofia’s dowry to then-Prince Juan Carlos of Spain. The two were married in Athens.

King Constantine’s downfall, however, stemmed from the country’s political turmoil, and a fight between the military and democratic forces.

Queen Frederica, King Constantine and Queen Sofia’s mother, fled to India with her daughter Irene, who now lives in Spain.

Pope’s funeral

Queen Sofia traveled often to be with her brother in Greece. The Spanish Royal Household has yet to comment.

Her Majesty was in Rome this week for Pope Benedict’s funeral, where she met with Pope Francis.

Spanish Royal Household

When Queen Frederica died, Queen Sofia insisted she be buried in Greece over the government’s objections.

ICYM: King’s Speech Focuses On Democracy, Ukraine

King Felipe kicked off his traditional Christmas Eve address discussing the war in Ukraine and its impact on the Spanish economy.

His Majesty, like in previous years, also touched on the threats to democracy and urged Spaniards to coalesce around their freedoms.

King Felipe, speaking from Zarzuela Palace, expressed the government’s belief in the European Union as one of the essential aspects of the country’s future.

King Attends Lula Inauguration

King Felipe has spent two days in Brazil attending inauguration ceremonies for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

His Majesty arrived in the Brazilian ahead of the ceremonies Sunday. He met several times with Lula, who is entering his third non-consecutive term in office.

While in Brasilia, King Felipe held a bilateral meeting with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

The King also met with the president of Guinea-Bisáu, Umaro Sissoco.

Spanish Royal Household

King Felipe had a chat with U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who headed that country’s delegation.

King Felipe Meets With King Charles… And Other Royal Calendar Highlights

King Felipe met with King Charles in London while Don Felipe was visiting the British capital for the 135th anniversary of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce there.

The trip was part of an intense pre-Christmas calendar. The two monarchs met at Clarence House in London, where King Charles maintains his residence.

King Felipe also traveled to Qatar last month for the Spanish soccer team’s first World Cup game. His Majesty also met with business leaders and Qatari officials.

Earlier in November, King Felipe and Queen Letizia traveled to Croatia for an official visit. The agenda included visits with Croatian President Zoran Milanović and First Lady Sanja Musić Milanović.

Spanish Royal Household

King Felipe In Washington

King Felipe traveled to Washington for ceremonies Friday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Georgetown University’s graduate degree in foreign service.

His Majesty, a graduate of Georgetown University, has visited the U.S. capital often to support the university and a studies program named in his honor.

The visit included stops in the Georgetown campus, the U.S. Institute of Peace and the International Monetary Fund.

The official royal calendar did not include a visit with President Joe Biden, who met with King Felipe and Queen Letizia during a visit to Madrid this summer.

King, Queen Cheered In Barcelona

A crowd in Barcelona cheered King Felipe and Queen Letizia last week for the 175th anniversary of the Circulo del Liceo private club.

The group, housed at Barcelona’s famed Liceo theater, brands itself a “reference for the social and cultural life of Barcelona and Catalonia.”

Spanish Royal Household

King Felipe and Queen Letizia were booed at the same theater in 2013 when they were still heirs to the throne. The reaction foreshadowed growing separatist and republican sentiment in Catalonia fueled by the financial crisis and then-King Juan Carlos’ scandals.

Paraguay visit

Also last week, the King and Queen welcomed the president and first lady of Paraguay for a visit to Spain.

Spanish Royal Household

The visit by President Mario Abdo Benítez and his wife, Silvana López Moreira Bó, included a lunch at the Madrid Royal Palace.