A new video from the Casa Real offers a rare look at Princess Leonor’s three-year military training at Spain’s academies. Zarzuela published it just days after she completed the program in July 2026. The footage culminates at the Academia General del Aire y del Espacio in San Javier, where King Felipe VI awarded her the Gran Cruz al Mérito Aeronáutico con distintivo blanco, the Grand Cross of Aeronautical Merit with white distinction.
The video opens with scenes from the Centro de Adiestramiento de San Gregorio in Zaragoza. The Princess of Asturias takes part in tactical exercises, submachine gun in hand, maneuvering through a simulated village assault. The footage captures her lying prone as she aims and fires. Shortly afterward, Leonor greets King Felipe VI and shares a meal with him in the academy’s dining hall. These moments date back to March 2024, when the King made an unannounced visit to observe the 22nd company’s field maneuvers. Leonor belongs to that unit. Zaragoza marked the Army phase of an itinerary that began in 2023 and was designed to prepare the heir to the throne for her future institutional role.
The compilation moves aboard the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, the Spanish Navy’s training ship, where Leonor took part in the traditional instruction cruise. The naval stage followed her initial Army training and formed the second part of her passage through Spain’s three armed services. In one segment, she joins a batucada in Salvador de Bahía, Brazil, playing drums alongside the crew. Another scene shows her reuniting with her sister, Sofía, in Gijón at the end of the voyage. It was their first meeting in six months.
Further footage highlights Leonor’s time at the Escuela Naval Militar in Marín, Pontevedra. She studies navigation charts and trains aboard the Guardiamarina Cherenguini, a practical instruction vessel for future naval officers. The video also shows her competing in fencing and volleyball at inter-academy sports competitions in Murcia, continuing a tradition she began during her earlier training in Zaragoza.
The closing moments return to San Gregorio. Leonor crawls under barbed wire and fires an assault submachine gun, then climbs into a Leopard battle tank to observe its operation. Her final academy stage took place at the Academia General del Aire y del Espacio in San Javier during the 2025 to 2026 academic year. The three stages covered land-force and naval instruction, followed by aviation-related training, bringing her academy education to a close in July 2026.
Behind-the-scenes footage of this kind is unusual for the Royal Household and reflects a broader trend toward greater transparency and public engagement by Spain’s monarchy. The video appeared as interest in the royal family’s activities remains high, particularly after other high-profile events involving Spanish institutions. Recent coverage of aviation incidents, including the Ryanair flight emergency between Greece and Germany, has also drawn public attention to the roles and responsibilities of those in positions of authority.
Leonor’s military education is a basic part of her preparation as heir to the Spanish throne. The three-year program took her through the Army and Navy academies before concluding with the Air and Space Force stage, following her graduation from UWC Atlantic College in Wales and her oath before the Cortes Generales on reaching adulthood. Completing academy training is separate from her later formal appointments: in July 2027, she is expected to receive commissions as an Army infantry lieutenant, an Air and Space Force flight lieutenant and a Navy alférez de navío. Correos, Spain’s postal operator, commemorated the itinerary with four stamps depicting stages of her progression through the training. After the military program, Leonor began studying political science at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in September 2026. By sharing these previously unseen moments, the Royal Household offers a glimpse into the demands placed on the next generation of Spain’s royal family and the developing relationship between the monarchy and Spanish society.
