Princess Leonor will start a very special 2025. After celebrating the holidays at home, she will now embark on a five-month sea journey that will take her to visit eight countries as part of her training in the Spanish navy. The heir to the throne and 75 other midshipmen will board the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano on Wednesday, January 8, to carry out the XCVII Training Cruise and continue with her naval education.
For the eldest daughter of King Felipe, it is time to say goodbye to Marín, the town in Pontevedra where she has been training since last August at the Naval School. The heir to the throne and her classmates are about to begin a "unique and indestructible experience that allows them to share a permanent and intimate contact with the sea, ultimately an environment in which everyone is called to develop their main professional tasks," as reported by the Ministry of Defense.
What will Princess Leonor's life be like aboard Elcano?
The Princess of Asturias will return from this adventure on July 21, 2025, when Elcano docks again in the port of the capital of Cadiz. This ship, which will be her home for almost half a year, is a brigantine schooner sailboat and unlike Navy units, it does not have missiles, torpedoes, or any combat weapons systems. Like any other warship, it does have light armament for defense, in order to maintain an adequate capacity to face an unforeseen threat that may arise at sea or in a foreign port. In total, Elcano has two 37mm mounts, 2 Browning machine guns, and 2 MG machine guns, as well as portable armament such as rifles and pistols.
Leonor will not only live with her classmates but also with one hundred other people. For five months, the royal will share accommodations with 16 officers, 21 non-commissioned officers, 35 first corporals, along with teachers from the Naval School and several civilians (such as a hairdresser, sailmaker, or carpenter). All of this personnel has been previously trained in institutions such as the Naval Military School of Marín, the Non-Commissioned Officers School of San Fernando, the Specialties School of the Naval Station of La Graña, and the Antonio Escaño Specialties School, the latter two located in Ferrol (A Coruña).
In addition, on board Elcano, Princess Leonor will also be a ‘ambassador’ of Spain at each port it docks, receiving on board different national and foreign authorities and personalities. Each stop on this journey will be an official visit, and the moment the Princess sets foot on land, she will once again be treated as a royal highness and not as a midshipman, as reported by El País.