Princess Leonor beams in crisp white uniform as she joins fellow cadets aboard Spanish Navy’s training ship

She may be a future queen, but today Princess Leonor looked every inch the poised naval cadet as she stood proudly aboard the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, the Royal Spanish Navy’s training ship, as it neared the historic Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal.

The 19-year-old Crown Princess of Spain, who began her military training two summers ago, cut a striking figure in her crisp white uniform complete with black insignia.

With her long blonde hair neatly tucked back and a beaming smile on her face, Leonor blended seamlessly with her fellow midshipmen – though her royal poise was unmistakable.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with cadets aboard the four-masted schooner, Leonor appeared relaxed and confident, clearly embracing the demands of military life.

The stop in Panama marks one of several international legs of the Elcano’s voyage – a rite of passage for Spain’s naval trainees and a nod to centuries of maritime tradition.

Royal watchers have praised the princess’s commitment to duty, noting how she’s thrown herself into the rigours of the forces.

After completing her stint at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Leonor is now gaining naval experience before moving on to air force training later this year.

It’s a far cry from tiaras and ballrooms – but for Spain’s future queen, service and discipline are clearly part of the crown.

Spain’s Crown Princess Leonor, centre right, stands with her fellow Navy cadets on the Juan Sebastian de Elcano training ship

Leonor, right, was snapped on the ship as it approached the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal in Panama City

The 19-year-old heir to the Spanish throne began her military training two summers ago, and is set to begin air force training later this year

It follows heartwarming footage from earlier this week that shows the Princess embracing her mother, Queen Letizia, after four months apart.

The Spanish royals were reunited at the Port of Fuerte Amador in Panama City, after Letizia flew more than 8,000 miles across the globe to see her beloved daughter.

Princess Leonor and her mother Letizia had not seen each other since January, when the young royal set sail aboard the Juan Sebastian.

Moving video from the Spanish Royal Household captured the moment they were finally reunited, with Leonor running across the port to greet her mother.

She was soon embraced in an effusive hug that was so powerful that Leonor had to take her hat off, while the Queen had tears in her eyes.

They were then pictured excitedly catching up, as Leonor, who previously graduated from UWC Atlantic in South Wales, has been on a whirlwind adventure.

The training ship of the Spanish navy is the third largest of its kind in the world, and has sailed more than two million nautical miles

Spain’s Queen Letizia (L) embracing her daughter Leonor during a navy stopover, for which the Queen travelled more than 8,000 miles to attend

Letizia and Leonor beamed gleefully as they posed for an image during their heartwarming reunion after four months apart

Letizia’s visit to Panama was an unofficial trip, sources at Zarzuela Palace told Spain’s Hola! Magazine. 

And their moving reunion was made all the more special – as this weekend Mother’s Day was celebrated in Spain.

While Leonor was smartly kitted out in her naval uniform, her mother had chosen to wear matching shades of white in casual jeans, T-shirt and white trainers.

For the Crown Princess’s training cruise, she is sailing through two oceans, and visiting 10 ports and eight countries in America, according to La Vanguardia.

The Princess of Asturias, as she is also known, participated in a visit to Panama Viejo, took a short walk to the Cathedral Tower and visited several rooms of the Museum (of Panama Viejo), which has a commemorative plaque of the visit of His Majesty the King 2019.

Leonor is following in the footsteps of her father King Felipe as well as her grandfather Juan Carlos, who all attended military training with every of the three armed services in the country. 

Navy Captain Pedro Cardona Suanzes, director-commandant of the Naval Military School in Marín, previously described the daily routine of the midshipmen to the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia.

He said that their life is ‘non-stop’ adding that there are constant tasks for them to do, from the minute they wake up until they go to bed in the evening.

The captain said the day starts at 6.45am. They then shower, make their beds and go and get breakfast all before 7.30am – when their white uniforms are inspected to be ‘spotless’.

During the week, all students must be in bed before 10.45pm to ensure they get their full eight hours of sleep.

On weekends, pupils are allowed to wake up two hours later than usual, at 8.45am and first-years are allowed to stay up until 1.30am in the morning.

Before she started her three-year training, Leonor revealed her enthusiasm for becoming a cadet at the Princesa de Girona Foundation award ceremony in Girona last year.

She said at the time: ‘I have just finished high school and I am about to start a new stage with a period of military training.

‘I am happy because I know how much the Spanish value our armed forces… it is an important moment in my life and I feel very excited and determined to continue learning and giving my best effort.’ 

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