Leonor's Troubled Debut: Flag Falls from the Flagpole and Air Parade Is Cancelled

Just weeks before completing her military training, Princess Leonor became the central figure of Spain’s Armed Forces Day (DIFAS), celebrated this Saturday in Vigo. The event was marred by the accidental fall of the Spanish flag from its flagpole and the cancellation of the aerial display due to poor weather conditions. For the first time, the heir to the throne attended the military celebration alongside the King and Queen. Her presence was intended to reaffirm her commitment to, and connection with, Spain’s Armed Forces. Following her training at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza and the Naval Military School in Marín, Leonor will conclude her journey through all three branches of the military next July at the General Air Academy before beginning her university studies. During a reception held after the parade, King Felipe VI praised the Princess of Asturias for the “effort and excellence” she has demonstrated throughout her military career. The ceremony was overshadowed by the fall of the Spanish flag from the flagpole where it had been raised. The incident was caused by the failure of a pulley that supported the rope used to hoist the flag. Before the parade began, the King, visibly displeased by the mishap, halted the formation and ordered that the flag carried by a member of the Royal Guard’s Honor Battalion be placed beside the flagpole to preside over the ceremony. Bad weather, particularly heavy fog, also prevented the traditional parachute jump by two members of the Air and Space Force’s Parachute Acrobatics Patrol (PAPEA), as well as the aerial parade. The Mirlo Formation, together with other aircraft and helicopters, had originally been scheduled to open and close the celebration. The King, Queen, and Princess Leonor arrived at the reviewing stand on Samil Avenue shortly after noon. They were welcomed by Defense Minister Margarita Robles and Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón. They then greeted attending authorities, including Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, President of Galicia Alfonso Rueda, and Vigo Mayor Abel Caballero. After receiving the report from the commander of the Honor Battalion, King Felipe VI, wearing the uniform of Captain General of the Army, reviewed the troops. Princess Leonor wore the full dress uniform of a fourth-year Air Force officer cadet. On her uniform was the Rokiski, the insignia confirming that she had successfully completed the parachuting course at Alcantarilla Air Base in Murcia and had, in theory, also completed her first parachute jump. Neither her father, King Felipe VI, nor her grandfather, King Juan Carlos I, completed the parachuting course or performed parachute jumps. Leonor has therefore become the first member of the Spanish Royal Family—and the first woman—to make a parachute jump. The flag-raising ceremony, accompanied by the national anthem and a gun salute, became problematic when the flag, after reaching the top of the mast, suddenly fell. It was caught before touching the ground, prompting a visible expression of frustration from the King. As officials abandoned plans to raise it again because of technical issues and the delay it would cause, the traditional tribute to military personnel who died in service proceeded. The King’s Toast to the “Parachutist Princess” Following the parade, a reception was held during which King Felipe VI raised a toast celebrating Princess Leonor’s “effort and excellence” throughout her military training. Speaking both as a father and as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the King noted that Leonor had recently earned the qualification of Parachute Hunter, which explained the insignia she wore on her uniform during the day’s events. Next year, together with her fellow classmates, the Princess of Asturias will be commissioned as a lieutenant and will be entitled to wear the pilot’s insignia. “It is an important milestone because it completes a cycle of training after these three years, which she has finished with great effort and excellence. I shouldn’t be the one saying it, but as a father I can say it... As Supreme Commander, we’ll see,” the King joked, prompting laughter from those present. Felipe VI congratulated the Princess, saying it was clear that she had genuinely enjoyed her military training, something that made him very happy—especially on a day when she was attending the Armed Forces Day parade alongside her parents for the first time. The King concluded his toast with words dedicated to the men and women of the Armed Forces and the Civil Guard: “To all the men and women serving Spain in so many places around the world. To you, to your families—who must also be remembered, who miss you and support you. And to everyone who has joined us in celebrating the Armed Forces. Together, for what unites us most: Spain.”