Princess Leonor Comes Of Age

Madrid came to a halt yesterday, Tuesday 31st October, as Princess Leonor of Spain celebrated her 18th birthday with an official ceremony in the Spanish Parliament where she sweared allegiance to the Constitution as heir to the throne.

The ceremony which was televised across Spain symbolises the crown´s role in the country´s constitutional monarchy as set out by the 1978 constitution.

In the swearing ceremony she used the same oath of allegiance that father did when, as Prince of Asturias, he turned 18 in 1986.

Leonor de Borbón Ortiz became crown princess when Felipe VI was proclaimed king on June 19, 2014.

Her face has been in the media a lot of late and the term “Leonormania” has gained traction across the country, underlining her growing popularity as the modern face of the future for the Spanish crown.

She has even succeeded in renewing the image of the royal house after the many scandals that have befallen it due to her grandfather, former King Juan Carlos.

Banners with her picture decorated lampposts along several of Madrid’s main streets. Many official buildings were festooned with drapes and tapestries for the ceremony, which was to be shown on national TV and on several giant screens set up in the capital.

By the early hours of Tuesday morning, crowds had begun lining the sidewalks along the royal route.

The only cloud over the day´s festivities was the absence of representatives from leftist political parties, including three government ministers, as well as lawmakers from Basque, Catalan and Galician regional and separatists parties who boycotted the event, as they favour a republic.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPANISH NEWS

Share The Madrid Metropolitan: The only Madrid English language newspaper