MADRID — Princess Leonor, 17 and heir apparent to the Spanish throne, will undergo three years of military training from August, Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced on Tuesday.
The Spanish monarchy is struggling to restore its image after a series of scandals over the past decade, mainly linked to former king Juan Carlos who abdicated in 2014 in favor of his son, King Felipe.
“As in all parliamentary monarchies (the heir) must have a military background and a military career,” Robles said after a cabinet meeting.
Felipe’s eldest daughter Leonor, who will complete her two-year secondary education at UWC Atlantic College in Wales in a few months, will turn 18 in October.
She is first in line of succession, unless a male heir is born, followed by her sister Sofia.
“In due time, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces will be a woman, and in recent years we have made a very strong effort to integrate women into the armed forces,” Robles said.
The princess will receive her first year of training at the Zaragoza Army Military Academy, then go to a naval school, which includes sailing on the tall training ship Juan Sebastian Elcano, and complete her studies at the Academy. general air.
The government and the Royal House agreed that his “very intense” military training would precede university studies, following in the footsteps of his father in the 1980s.
Juan Carlos has abdicated amid a tax evasion case involving royals and following a scandal over his elephant hunting trip to Africa at a time when Spain was going through a deep recession .
The former monarch has lived in Abu Dhabi since August 2020, when he left Spain after several investigations were opened in Spain and Switzerland for alleged fraud.
The investigations were then dropped.