2023-08-16 18:15:08
The time has come: the second stage of the training of the Princess of Asturias begins, whose entry into the General Academy of Zaragoza is already at its starting point. The eldest daughter of the Kings Felipe and Letizia, so that we were all clear, has expressed a little over a month ago the great illusion that she is excited about preparing to be the head of the Armed Forces of her country in the future. The heiress to the Crown, until now, has shown numerous signs of her sense of duty and also of her ability to assume the responsibilities that correspond to her as a member of the Royal Household and to be the first in the succession chain of the institution of the Monarchy. . For this reason, we must trust that her passage through the three military academies will be a fundamental stage in her life, in which it will be mandatory to be fully prepared to carry out the highest responsibility of the Army and the Spanish State.
Her parents, Don Felipe and Doña Letizia, are very satisfied, and they have stated this publicly, because they know the will, interest and illusion of their eldest daughter in receiving that military training that begins now. The Princess, how could it be otherwise, knows that this stage of military training is sacrificed and very demanding. But above the harshness of the training, studies and living with people she doesn’t know is being aware of the honor of training and serving alongside the men and women of the Armed Forces. Her parents, especially King Felipe, who attended the three military academies at the same age as his daughter, have considered that this stage of training for the Princess is very valuable since it reinforces service and delivery skills, provides technical preparation and very complete and adequate human resources to guarantee the commitment of permanent service to Spanish society.
The heiress to the Crown knows perfectly well, because this is how her father, King Felipe, has taught her, that in addition to purely military knowledge, her time at the training centers of the Land, Sea and Air armies will be essential to promote values as essential as loyalty, discipline, leadership, courage or camaraderie. Also to reinforce principles such as exemplarity or austerity.
The incorporation of Princess Leonor into the military career, in her case with a specific program adjusted to her rank, will also contribute to the normalization of the presence of women in the army. Of the total of 612 new cadets that will enter the General Academy of Zaragoza this week, 140 of them are women. 22% of the total will be female cadets who aspire to complete their studies and reach the highest rank throughout their military careers, although they will have to fight a little more than men to reach the most prominent positions.
According to all indications, the Princess will be assisted by a military woman, Army Lieutenant Colonel Margarita Pardo de Santayana, number 1 of her promotion and daughter of the former Army Chief of Staff, Alfonso Pardo. de Santayana. Currently, the lieutenant colonel is stationed in the King’s Military Room and according to military sources, she would be chosen as liaison between the Zarzuela Palace and Princess Leonor in these first steps of the eldest of the Kings in the Academy.
The current acting Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, paid a visit last Friday to the facilities of the training center for the military on Earth to verify that everything is ready for the arrival of the heiress to the Crown. The director of the center indicated to the media that the Princess will have a specific study plan that will allow her to take two courses in one.
General Manuel Pérez López explained that the subjects have been condensed so that from her arrival this week until October 7, the day on which she is expected to swear the flag to the rest of her classmates, the Princess finishes the first course. Thereafter, she will join the second until the end of next spring.
The acting Minister of Defense toured all the facilities in which Doña Leonor will develop her life: classrooms, dining room and bedrooms, and stressed that she will arrive at the Academy accompanied by her parents, as will the rest of the students. Margarita Robles also stated that her will is that the stay of the heir to the Crown in the military training center be normal and on equal terms with the rest of her companions.
Shared cameras, intense physical and study activity and hours from the reveille that marks dawn at 6:30 a.m. to silence at 11:00 p.m. will mark the daily life of the Princess of Asturias and Girona at the General Military Academy of Zaragoza (AGM), where everything is ready for your arrival this Thursday, between 10:00 and 12:00 in the morning. She will be part of the I Cadet Battalion. She will be able to accompany the King and Queen and her sister, the Infanta Sofía, by allowing up to four relatives, who have the option of visiting the facilities for an hour and a half.
The same as happened 38 years ago, specifically on September 1, 1985 when the King, current Captain General of the Army, arrived at the same center accompanied by his parents, the then Kings Juan Carlos and Sofía. The training plan is similar for the father and for the daughter. Three years dedicated to strengthening the ties between the Crown and the military, something essential in a country like Spain, whose citizens place the Army as the most valued institution.
“Never murmur or tolerate it”
Doña Leonor’s stay will be governed by the “Cadet Decalogue” in which companionship, sacrifice and fidelity to the King constitute its cornerstones. The Princess of Asturias will have to memorize these ten points from the start. Created in 1927 and subjected to only a few changes over time, it requires “great love for the country and fidelity to the King”, “military spirit” or “to be faithful in fulfilling his duties and exact in service”. It also urges “never to murmur or tolerate it”, to “be courageous and self-sacrificing” and “to have a love of responsibility and decision to resolve.”
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