By Jessica Wedemeyer
2:29am PDT, Aug 24, 2023
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On Aug. 17, 2023, Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain said goodbye to the older of their two daughters, Princess Leonor, as the 17-year-old future queen kicked off three years of military training at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Spain.
After a year at the military academy, Leonor will transfer to the Naval Military Academy at Marín in Pontevedra, Spain, where she'll work as a midshipman aboard the Juan Sebastián de Elcano training ship. She'll then spend a year studying with the Spanish Air and Space Force at the Aeronaval Base in San Javier, Spain.
When she completes her studies, she'll rank as a lieutenant in both the army and the air force. She'll rank as an ensign in Spain's navy.
When she becomes Spain's first queen regnant since Queen Isabella II — who reigned from 1833 to 1868 — Princess Leonor will also become the leader of the country's armed forces.
Her father, King Felipe — who's currently the captain general of Spain's army, navy and air force — studied at multiple military academies and even earned his pilot wings.
According to CNN, during an Aug. 15 press conference, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said of the future queen's training, "It's an essential step in the life of Her Royal Highness … toward the leadership of our country. … It shows that we will have, when the time comes, a supreme commander who is a woman, and in the recent years, we've made a big effort to incorporate women into the armed forces."
A few days after Leonor's training kicked off, the crown released several photos of her in action as a Lady Cadet.
Keep reading for more pictures…
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Princess Leonor trains as a Lady Cadet at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Spain, in August 2023.
The future queen's name-tag reads "Borbón Ortiz." Her full name — Leonor de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz — honors each of her parents' families: Spain's royal family belongs to the House of Bourbon, while Queen Letizia was born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano.
In Spain and Spanish American countries, except Argentina, People magazine explained, people traditionally have two surnames: The first comes from their father and the second coms from their mother. Leonor is not using her royal titles during her military training.
MORE: Stars who've served in the military
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Princess Leonor — in full military fatigues — trains as a Lady Cadet at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Spain, in August 2023.
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Princess Leonor dons a camouflage-print bucket hat while training as a Lady Cadet at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Spain, in August 2023.
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Princess Leonor trains as a Lady Cadet with several of her peers at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Spain, in August 2023.
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Princess Leonor wears her hair in a low bun while studying as a Lady Cadet at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Spain, in August 2023.
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Princess Leonor trains as a Lady Cadet at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Spain, in August 2023.
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Princess Leonor trains as a Lady Cadet at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Spain, in August 2023.
