On Sunday, October 12, the streets of Madrid were filled with military equipment, banners, and the sounds of an orchestra, as the city hosted the annual parade dedicated to Spain’s National Day. King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, took center stage on the grandstand. This year, the event held special significance: it marked twenty years since the creation of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), and for the first time, two of its battalions marched in the parade.
Nearly four thousand service members took part in the parade, including over five hundred women. Dozens of planes and helicopters flew overhead, while hundreds of military vehicles and cavalry units moved along the city streets. The route passed through the districts of Chamberí, Salamanca, Centro, Retiro, and Arganzuela. Organizers expected around 80,000 spectators to attend the event.
By 11 a.m., Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Defense Minister Margarita Robles, Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the city’s mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, had gathered on the square. They awaited the royal family’s arrival, which was not announced over the loudspeakers. Despite this, some in the crowd voiced their disapproval, though the stands were at least two hundred meters away.
The parade became not only a military event but also a gathering place for politicians. However, Vox party leader Santiago Abascal chose not to appear either in the stands or at the king’s reception at the palace, explaining his decision by a reluctance to support the current government. He watched the proceedings from the street, insisting that the monarch would not interpret his action as disrespect.
Due to the aftermath of Cyclone Alice, the heads of the Balearic Islands, Murcia, and Valencia did not come to Madrid. Previously, leaders from the Basque Country, the Canary Islands, and La Rioja had already announced their absence. On the other hand, Catalonia’s president, Salvador Illa, rejoined the celebration, as he did last year, after a long break.
A special invitation was extended to 78 mayors from cities affected by last year’s disaster in Valencia, where 229 people died. This time, instead of the usual ‘Patrulla Águila,’ the ‘Mirlo’ instructor group performed over Madrid in new Pilatus PC-21 training aircraft, marking a notable innovation at the parade.
