Princess Leonor Follows in Her Father's Footsteps: Leads Flag Oath Ceremony in Uruguay

Princess Leonor's training aboard the Juan Sebastián Elcano continues as she leaves behind images reminiscent of her father, King Felipe VI, during his time on the training ship. This Friday, with the vessel docked in Montevideo, Uruguay, the Princess of Asturias, like her father four decades ago, led the flag oath ceremony for a group of Spanish residents in the South American country.

This marks the first time the heir to the throne has served as the flag bearer in such an event, and the location was not chosen by chance. On March 19, 1987, then-Prince of Asturias, Felipe de Borbón, carried the flag aboard the training ship. Now, his eldest daughter has followed in his footsteps.

The ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, who traveled to Montevideo to witness the event. In the ceremony, 45 Spaniards out of the more than 70,000 living in the Uruguayan capital swore allegiance to the Spanish flag, a tradition during the 'Elcano's' training cruise stops.

During the event, the Princess of Asturias wore the Navy's gala uniform, as did her fellow midshipmen, who stood on deck while the 45 Spaniards marched one by one to kiss the flag.

Also present at the ceremony were the Spanish ambassador to Uruguay, Javier Salido; the director of the National Intelligence Centre (CNI), Esperanza Casteleiro; the Undersecretary of Defence, Adoración Mateos; and the Secretary General of Defence Policy, Admiral Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez. During her visit aboard, Robles met with Leonor.

Montevideo was the second port in Latin America visited by the 'Juan Sebastián Elcano' after departing from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on January 23. During the stopover, the Princess of Asturias and the rest of the midshipmen had the opportunity to visit the historic center of the Uruguayan capital and attended a reception organized by the Spanish Embassy.

As is customary during these visits, they also laid a floral offering at the monument to Uruguay's independence hero, José Gervasio Artigas. This was the eighteenth time the 'Juan Sebastián Elcano' has docked in Montevideo. The Uruguayan capital was included in the ship's inaugural cruise in 1928 and was last visited in 2020.

From here, Princess Leonor and her companions will head to Chile this Sunday. They are expected to arrive in Punta Arenas on March 20, where they will stay for three days before reaching the Pacific and stopping in Valparaíso from April 4 to 18.