Princess Leonor swears oath to the Constitution

Crown Princess Leonor, who will become the first queen to ascend the throne in Spain in over 120 years, officially confirmed her status as the future royal successor to her father, King Felipe VI, by swearing an oath to the Constitution at the Spanish Parliament on October 31, the day she turned 18.

Following the oath-taking ceremony, where Princess Leonor wore a white suit, the words of Spanish Parliament Speaker Francina Armengol, "Long live the Constitution, Long live Spain, Long live the King," were repeated by the deputies in the General Assembly.

For the ceremony, the Assembly podium and the deputies' seats were removed to create a special layout, prepared in a manner very similar to the oath taken by King Felipe VI in this same chamber when he turned 18 in 1986.

After the oath-taking ceremony, Princess Leonor was presented with the "Gold Medals" of the Congress and the Senate.

Meanwhile, there was significant activity in the city of Madrid due to the ceremony.

The Madrid Municipality decorated the city center and institutional buildings with Spanish flags, while the oath-taking ceremony was broadcast live on a giant screen set up in Puerta del Sol.

Princess Leonor arrived at Parliament in the same vehicle as her younger sister, Princess Sofia, while King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia arrived in a separate vehicle as required by protocol.

King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and their daughters Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia, who were welcomed in front of the Parliament building by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, entered the Parliament through the "Lion Gate," which is only opened on special occasions, after the Spanish National Anthem was played and the King saluted the ceremonial guard of the naval, land, air, and gendarmerie commands alone.

Emeritus King Juan Carlos, who has lived in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), since leaving Spain in August 2020 due to allegations of corruption and assets held abroad, and his wife, Emeritus Queen Sofia, who continues to live separately in Madrid, did not attend the ceremony.

Due to the ceremony, numerous souvenirs and commemorative coins featuring photographs of Princess Leonor were put on sale in Madrid.

Following the oath-taking ceremony, which formalized Princess Leonor as the heir to the throne, the Royal Family greeted about 600 guests present in Parliament.

5 anti-monarchy political parties and 3 ministers did not attend the ceremony

On the other hand, Princess Leonor's oath-taking ceremony was overshadowed by anti-monarchists.

Five political parties operating in Spain's Basque, Catalonia, and Galicia autonomous regions that have representation in the Spanish Parliament (ERC, Junts, PNV, EH Bildu, BNG), three ministers affiliated with the far-left alliance within the junior partner of the incumbent coalition government, and some deputies boycotted the Royal Family and did not attend the ceremony.

Furthermore, the presidents of the Basque and Catalan autonomous governments also boycotted the Royal Family.

Anti-monarchy manifesto published

Additionally, 250 intellectuals, including artists, academics, and politicians such as former Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias, writer Carlos Bardem, feminist and environmental activist Yayo Herrero, actor Alberto San Juan, and journalist Olga Rodriguez, published an anti-monarchy manifesto titled "Felipe VI: 10 years is enough."

The signatories, who argue that "the monarchy is an obsolete institution from the past that is incompatible with democracy," called for public mobilization to transition Spain's form of government to a republic through a process to be completed in June 2024, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of King Felipe VI's accession to the throne.