Crowds of people gathered in front of the gates of the Royal Palace, buildings decorated with flags that give Madrid the flair of London: With her swearing in on Tuesday, heir to the throne Princess Leonor brought new life to the Spanish monarchy after dark years.
• Also read: Princess Leonor, the new face of the Spanish monarchy
“I swear to fulfill my duties faithfully, to protect and ensure the Constitution and the laws, to respect the rights of citizens and autonomous communities and to be loyal to the King,” Leonor announced on her 18th birthday before the King of the Two Chambers of Parliament meet in an extraordinary session, their right hand resting on a copy of the Constitution.
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It was the same copy on which his father, King Felipe VI, had taken the oath 37 years earlier.
An acclaimed achievement during a long ovation from MPs and senators for the princess, who can now constitutionally succeed her father if the office at the head of the state becomes vacant.
Outside there was the same applause from spectators who gathered in front of the huge screens installed at various locations around the capital.
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“What a pride to experience a day like this in Spain! (…) It should have been a national holiday,” enthuses Blanca Palomares, a 23-year-old student from Madrid who went to the famous Puerta del Sol square, where the heart of the capital beats.
The heir to the throne then left Parliament and drove through the streets of Madrid to the Royal Palace in a Rolls Royce Phantom IV, accompanied by the Royal Guard on horseback, waving to passers-by through the window while some sent him “Happy Birthday”.
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Bells, flags and treats
As soon as the swearing-in ceremony was completed, the bells of many cathedrals across the country rang while 19 gun salutes were fired.
Leonor’s photo adorned the capital’s street lamps, while around 20,000 national flags and sweets decorated with the national insignia were distributed in the city center.
“I lived in England for a while and it seems like this, this passion for the royal family,” comments Sophie, a 19-year-old American student who has been living in Madrid for several months.
As Felipe VI. When Spain swore allegiance to the constitution in 1986, the atmosphere in Spain was very different: dictator Francisco Franco had been dead for 11 years, the country would join the European Union that year and Barcelona would take over hosting the 1992 Olympics.
King Juan Carlos I, father of Felipe VI, had helped thwart a military coup attempt five years earlier, and the monarchy’s popularity was at its peak.
Thirty-seven years later, the monarchy is only just emerging from its darkest period since the restoration of democracy after the reign of Juan Carlos I ended miserably and was forced to abdicate in 2014 following a series of scandals.
Juan Carlos, who has lived in Abu Dhabi since 2020, was not at the ceremony on Tuesday, his presence only planned for a private family celebration at the end of the day at the Pardo Palace in northern Madrid.
If she ascends the throne, Leonor will become the third queen in her own right – and not her consort – in the history of Spain, after Joanna I of Castile in the 16th century and Isabella II in the 19th century.
“I’m not a monarchist, but the fact that she’s a woman makes her a little more likeable to me,” said Andrea, 23, originally from Pontevedra (northwest), who came to Puerta del Sol out of curiosity.
Absences and whistles
However, some guests were missing: the Basque, Catalan and Galician independence deputies, who were openly hostile to the monarchy, as well as three ministers who belonged to the radical left and boycotted the ceremony.
In a sign that politics is never far away, some audience members showed their displeasure with the left-wing government by shouting “Traitor!” following the death of the current Prime Minister, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, who is currently in full negotiations with the Catalan separatists to be reappointed in his functions.