Zaragoza – Reuters

Princess Leonor, heir to the throne of Spain and future commander-in-chief of the armed forces, exuded a mixture of excitement and nervousness as she began three years of military training on Thursday.

The eldest daughter of Spain’s King Felipe VI, who will turn 18 in October, arrived at the military academy in Zaragoza in the afternoon, accompanied by her parents King Felipe and Queen Letizia and her sister Sofia.

The princess told reporters she would start the year “very excited” although she admitted she was “a bit nervous”.

The Princess will spend a year at the Military Academy in Zaragoza, after which she will attend the Naval College, where she will sail the Juan Sebastian da Elcano, a four-masted schooner used by the Spanish Navy for training, and will graduate. He studies at the General Air Academy.

When announcing the military training in March, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said the princess was one of the young women who applied to join the armed forces.

“When the time comes, a woman will assume the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” Robles said. “In the last few years, we have made a very significant effort to integrate women into the armed forces.”

The government and the royal family agreed that the princess’ “very intensive” military training would precede university studies to follow in her father’s footsteps at the end of the 1980s.

Speaking to the media outside the academy, the king said: “It’s Leonor’s turn, it’s exciting and we support him a lot. The first days will be difficult, but you will get through it with effort and patience. Princess Leonor is the first heir to the throne, unless she has a brother, and her sister Sofia. .