First reception at the Royal Palace and 'kissing hands' with 2,000 guests for Princess Leonor

The Princess of Asturias met one of the fathers of the Constitution two weeks before her swearing-in

MADRID, 12 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

This October 12, Princess Leonor experienced her first reception at the Royal Palace, including the traditional 'kissing hands' to the more than 2,000 guests for the occasion, among whom was a group of her colleagues at the General Academy of the Army of Land in Zaragoza, where he is carrying out his military training.

Although the Princess of Asturias had previously attended the military parade on the occasion of the National Holiday, until now she had not participated with the Kings in the reception that is held every year in the Palace and attended by the highest levels of the State, as well as businessmen, religious representatives and members of civil society, among others.

The heir to the throne has done a 'double' on this occasion, after her absence in the last two years when she was studying Baccalaureate in Wales, and has attended both the military parade on the Paseo del Prado and the reception.

At both events, Princess Leonor, now a Borbón Ortiz cadet lady after having sworn in the flag on October 7, has attended in the Army's gala dress, dressed in pants, white shirt, black tie, gold sash and red beret , the latter complement that has been removed in the Palace.

During the parade, she was able to feel the warmth of the citizens, who welcomed her and the Kings with loud applause and cheers. The Princess of Asturias had her first moment of prominence of the day here, when she accompanied Felipe VI to lay a laurel wreath in tribute to those who gave their lives for Spain at the foot of the flag.

Already in the Palace, the heir to the throne has continued to be the focus of all eyes, facing the traditional 'kissing hands', that is, the protocol greeting of all the guests to the Kings and in this case also to their eldest daughter. The around 2,000 guests that Zarzuela estimates have come for the occasion have paraded before them.

The greetings have been divided into several blocks, with short breaks of a few minutes so that Don Felipe, Doña Letizia and Princess Leonor could rest, as they shake hands with each and every one of the guests. Here, the exception is the Iranian ambassador, Reza Zabib, who has not shaken hands with either the Queen or the Princess, as is customary in his country.

During the 'kissing of hands' there have been three notable moments. The first, the brief exchange that the Kings and the Princess have had with the Israeli ambassador to Spain, Rodica Gardian-Gordon, whose country was the target of an attack by the terrorist group last weekend that left more than 1,000 dead. The Palestinian ambassador, Husni Abdel Wahed, was also present at the reception, but in his case there was no exchange of words outside of the protocol greeting.

The second was carried out by one of the 'fathers' of the Constitution, Miguel Herrero y Rodríguez de Miñón. At 83 years old and with visible mobility problems, he entered the Throne Room moving slowly and using a cane.

At first, the King told him that there was no rush and that he should be calm, and then he chose to take a few steps forward to meet him for the greeting, a gesture that Doña Letizia and Princess Leonor have emulated.

At this point, Don Felipe told his daughter who it was. It is worth remembering that the Princess of Asturias will swear in the Constitution on October 31, when she turns 18, in a solemn session before the Cortes in the Congress of Deputies.

And the third has undoubtedly been the one that has made Princess Leonor the most excited. In addition to having the opportunity to greet the director of the Zaragoza Military Academy, General Manuel Pérez López, she was also able to greet some of her section colleagues at the Academy, appearing very smiling.

Once the 'parade' of guests has concluded, among which the entire Government in office has been, with its president, Pedro Sánchez, at the head with the exception of the first vice president, Nadia Calviño, on an official trip to Morocco, and the Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, traveling in Chile, these have come to occupy three rooms, where a cocktail has been served.

The Kings and Princess of Asturias then toured the three rooms - Halberdiers, Columns and the guest dining room -, chatting and greeting many of the guests again. Here too, the heir to the throne has received special attention, with many of those present expressly approaching to greet and congratulate her.