The Princess of Asturias swears in the Constitution as heir to the Throne

USPA NEWS - The Crown Princess of the Throne of Spain, Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz, eldest daughter of Kings Felipe VI and Letizia, swore the Spanish Constitution this Tuesday, October 31, in a formal ceremony held in the Lower House of the Spanish Parliament. The event coincided with the coming of age of the Princess, who turned 18, and with the 45th anniversary of the approval of the Constitution by Parliament.

The Princess of Asturias arrived at the parliamentary headquarters accompanied by her parents and her sister, Infanta Sofía. The procession was escorted by a horse squad of the Royal Guard, as well as officers on foot. For security reasons, the details of the ceremony were kept secret until the last moment. Throughout the entire route, thousands of people gathered on both sides of the street, applauding and cheering the Crown Princess.

The Royal Family was received at the doors of Parliament with the Spanish national anthem, and greeted by the presidents of the Congress and the Senate. Once inside, the Kings, the Princess and the Infanta greeted the members of the Government present at the event, parliamentarians, regional presidents and other civil and military authorities. Absent were the extreme left members of the Government and the presidents of Catalonia and the Basque Country, opposed to the Monarchy, which they do not recognize as the highest representation of the State.

The ceremony was brief. The oath of the Crown Princess is regulated in the Spanish legislation. "I swear to faithfully carry out my duties, to keep and ensure that the Constitution and the laws are kept, to respect the rights of citizens and the autonomous communities, as well as loyalty to the King," declared the Princess with one hand resting on a copy of the Spanish Constitution. And in the presence of her parents, her sister and the presidents of the Congress and the Senate, who acted as notaries for the event.

Later, in the Royal Palace, when King Felipe VI awarded her the Grand Cross of Charles III, the highest civil decoration in Spain, which is only awarded to kings, princes and high personalities, the Princess of Asturias asked the Spaniards: "Let them trust me, as I have all my trust in our future, the future of Spain." And she added: "I have assumed a great responsibility towards Spain before the Parliament, which I hope to reciprocate with the greatest dignity and the best example."

King Felipe VI promised his daughter that "she will not be alone" in her new responsibilities as heir to the Crown of Spain. 70 percent of Spaniards believe that Leonor de Borbón will be a good Queen when it is her turn to succeed her father. A proud father, as could be seen in Parliament, where the two Chambers awarded the Princess her medals of honor.

Subsequently, in a private session at the Zarzuela Palace, the official residence of the Kings, the Royal Family, with the presence of the Emeritus Kings, Juan Carlos I and Sofía, celebrated the Oath of the Constitution of the Princess of Asturias. The Emeritus Kings had not been invited to the event held in Parliament, but it did not matter. Three generations of monarchs gathered at a family celebration that concluded a historic day: the King Emeritus, the current Monarch and the future Queen of Spain.