Leonor, heading to New York: the final trip before her transition to the Air Force

With her arrival in New York, Princess Leonor faces the conclusion of her naval training aboard the training ship Juan Sebastián  Elcano,which for five months took her across the Atlantic. This journey, inherited from her father's route decades ago, marked a key stage in her military and personal preparation.

Although she hasn't set foot on New York soil yet, anticipation is growing. This will be the last port before returning to Spain,  where her schedule continues to intensify.Felipe VI and Letizia, this time, won't be present at the disembarkation ceremony: they have official commitments for June 5, thus avoiding taking the spotlight away from their daughter.

A journey without protocol, but symbolic

Unlike her father, whose stops included high-level diplomatic meetings  and a symbolic encounter with  Ronald Reagan, Leonor's journey had a formative and discreet character. With no diplomatic functions or official commitments, the still midshipman focused on learning aboard the ship.

Leonor also didn't have the institutional coverage Felipe had during his journey. Her trip aimed to fulfill a single objective: to compress, into a single year, all the basic military training required for someone destined to become the future supreme commander of the Armed Forces.

After her time in New York,  she will fly back to Spain, while her companions complete the journey by ship. She will then experience a family reunion and continue her training on a frigate of the Álvaro de Bazán class, possibly aboard the one named after her great-grandfather, Admiral Juan de Borbón.

The long-awaited reunion with Sofía

On a personal level, the most anticipated reunion will be with her sister, Infanta Sofía. Distance marked this stage: Leonor couldn't accompany her either on her 18th birthday or at her recent graduation. She sent her a message full of pride, promising to celebrate together.

Both sisters have matured in parallel during this time. Leonor, like her father in the past, realized that media innocence is a thing of the past: she was targeted by paparazzi during the stops. Sofía, meanwhile, is about to define her university future and the role she will assume within the Royal Household, without visible pressure from their parents.

The next official event on Leonor's schedule is July 16, when the graduation ceremony will be held at the Naval School of Marín.  There she will receive the rank of ensign, probably from her father and in the presence of her mother and sister, as already happened with the Army.

The immediate future: from sea to sky

After the summer, Leonor will begin her training at the Air and Space Academy in San Javier, Murcia.  This will be the last military step before reaching the rank of lieutenant in July 2026. This stage will include  training in aeronautics,  logistics, management, engineering, and even psychology.

The new curriculum, recently updated, incorporates space training and a strong bilingual dimension, with an emphasis on clear communication within multinational military organizations.

Felipe VI visited the academy in 2024 to learn about the advances in training and to try out the simulators where his daughter will train. There he also became familiar with the modern  PC-21 aircraft, which simulate the operation of real fighter jets and represent the most exciting stage of the course.

Leonor is preparing for an unprecedented role: she will be the first woman to lead the Armed Forces when she ascends the throne. Her training has been meticulously designed for that objective. What will come next is still uncertain.  The Royal Household hasn't revealed what Princess Leonor's university path will be, although it is expected to combine academic excellence and international projection.

Leonor moves forward, steadily and without pause, toward an unprecedented destiny for the Spanish monarchy.