For students who live far away from home due to studies, nothing is more comforting than seeing their parents pay them a visit. This is probably in the mind of the 18-year-old Princess of Asturias when her father visited her today at the General Military Academy.
But her father is not just any random father. As Spain's head of state, King Felipe VI is also the commander-in-chief of the Spanish armed forces, and so responsible for all things military in Spain.
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| King Felipe joins his daughter's military exercises. |
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| The King gives encouragement to his daughter. |
Today, March 18, King Felipe VI, not only paid his daughter a visit but also saw her progress so far in her military training. His Majesty joined the trainees on the ground during the military maneuvers drill and gave the trainees important pointers.
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| Princess Leonor in the training ground today. |
He also closely observed them doing military exercises and at one point, walked to his daughter and gave her encouragement before Princess Leonor joined his classmates in the training ground.
After the training, King Felipe joined the students in the canteen, sitting next to Princess Leonor, and chatted with her classmates. The atmosphere was relaxed and warm as the king, who is their top boss in the military, joined the conversation of the teens while having their snacks.Â
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| King Felipe VI joins Princess Leonor in the canteen, chatting with her classmates. |
The King, who also trained in the three branches of the military during his time as the Prince of Asturias, wore the same khaki uniform as the students embossed with a Spanish flag on the left shoulder.
Princess Leonor's Education
Princess Leonor will train for three years in the three military branches of the Spanish armed forces (one year each: Army, Navy, Air Force) in preparation for her future role as Spain's head of state and commander of the Spanish armed forces.
So she will postpone her university studies until she finishes her military training in 2026. Only then she will decide which university to attend and what area of discipline to study.
King Felipe began her military training in September 1985 at the age of 17, and completed it in July 1988, training in all three branches of the military. After his completion, he became a helicopter pilot, with an aptitude for instrument flight in the 402 Squadron of the Air Force.Â
After his military training in 1988, then Prince Felipe studied at the Autonomous University of Madrid, where he graduated a Bachelor of Law in 1993.Â
After his graduation, he traveled to Washington, D.C., USA to study a Master's Degree in International Relations at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where he was a roommate and classmate of his first cousin, Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece. They both graduated on May 26, 1995.Â
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| King Felipe VI and Princess Leonor at the training camp today, March 18. Photo credit: Casa Real |
It is likely that Princess Leonor will follow the same pattern of a university life calendar as her father. Her younger sister, Infanta Sofia, who is not expected to train in the military, will most likely attend the university right away after her IB diploma in UWC in Wales.
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