Princess Leonor's education: from 'Rebelling' at El Cano to the Air Force

Princess Leonor is making steady progress in her military training. After completing a demanding stage in the Navy in July, she is now preparing to open a new chapter in her career: her time at the General Air and Space Academy (AGA) in San Javier (Murcia).

This challenge will officially begin on September 1, when she joins as a cadet second lieutenant. Everything will be under the same academic conditions as the rest of her classmates in her class.

On July 16, Leonor ended her naval stage with an emotional ceremony at the Naval Military School of Marín (Pontevedra). There, in the presence of her classmates and commanding officers, she was promoted to second midshipman and received from her father, King Felipe VI, the Grand Cross of Naval Merit, an honor that symbolizes the effort and perseverance she showed during the previous months.

With that event, the heiress closed an intense period: 114 days embarked on the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano, a previous month of instruction on the frigate Blas de Lezo, and the final voyage to Galicia. She leaves this stage behind to now face the challenges of the Air Force.

Leonor's new stage in the Air Force

On July 23, her appointment as a cadet second lieutenant in the flight specialty within the Air and Space Force was made official, which will allow her to join the 78th class of the AGA.

The responsibility for guiding this new phase falls to Luis Felipe González Asenjo. The colonel is the current director of the AGA and head of the San Javier Air Base. His résumé is extensive: more than three decades of experience, training at international centers, diplomatic representation posts, and leadership of the Space Command in Torrejón de Ardoz. Since December 2024, he has led the academy in Murcia, a key destination for the training of future air force officers.

The colonel has been clear: Leonor will not have any special concessions. She will face the same program as her classmates, with demanding theoretical instruction, simulator practice, and flights in aircraft such as the Pilatus PC-21. This last one is the same plane that King Felipe VI recently flew at the "Aire 25" festival. In addition, she will have to pass the high-level physical training that characterizes this academy.

Although he will not be her tutor in the closest sense, González Asenjo will assume supervision of her academic, operational, and social integration at the AGA. "She will be treated with the same demands and discipline as her classmates," he assured.

This stage in the Air Force completes an itinerary that the princess has been following since 2023. First in Zaragoza with the Army, then in Marín with the Navy—where she sailed on the Juan Sebastián de Elcano and on the frigate Blas de Lezo—and now in Murcia. The journey will culminate in 2026, when she receives the Grand Cross of Aeronautical Merit, also from her father.

"Symbolic mutiny" on the Elcano: a complicated voyage

During the 114 days of the voyage on the Elcano, Leonor experienced an enriching yet difficult experience. As we published in elcierredigital.com, the princess suffered episodes of motion sickness: dizziness, vertigo, and frequent vomiting from the very first days of sailing.

At times, she even had bruises on her arms as a result of the physical discomfort. The head of Public Relations of the National Navy of Uruguay, Alejandro Pérez, confirmed that the heiress was "having significant difficulties related to the typical seasickness of life at sea."

As we also reported, at Zarzuela, they even considered that Queen Letizia might visit Leonor. Specifically, during one of the stopovers—in Chile or Peru—to check firsthand how her daughter was doing and to give her personal support.

They also considered the option for Leonor to temporarily leave the ship to attend her sister Sofía's 18th birthday. However, she ultimately stayed on board.

Beyond the seasickness, adapting to life on a training ship was not easy. For someone without previous nautical training, the shock was inevitable.

That's why there is talk of a kind of "symbolic mutiny." Not a real conflict, but the expression of the difficulties of adapting to such a rigid environment. It was a test of endurance that, nevertheless, she ended up overcoming.

The Borbóns' summer in Mallorca

After closing that stage, Leonor has spent part of the summer with her family in Mallorca. Although hardly any details have been released from Zarzuela, it became known that both she and her sister Sofía took part in official events and enjoyed moments of rest alongside the King and Queen. It is a combination of institutional agenda and private life that has become a tradition for the royal family during the month of August.

This summer, however, has been marked by a more serious tone. The recovery of a close friend after an accident and the delicate health situation of her paternal aunt, Irene of Greece, added a note of concern to the family vacation.

While Leonor is preparing to immerse herself in the world of military aviation, Infanta Sofía is also starting her own path. Next September, she will begin her university studies in political science at a European institution of an international character.