The parade ground of the General Academy of Zaragoza woke up this Tuesday prepared for one of the most special moments within the school. Around five in the afternoon, the handing over of sabers took place, the solemn act through which the second-year cadets hand over their weapons to the first-year cadets, which represents a milestone in their training and reaching the status of officers.
Princess Leonor has been one of the 600 lady cadets who has participated in an internal ceremony of the General, in which there is never family or media invited. The daughter of King Felipe and Queen Letizia is one more at the Academy since she crossed its doors on August 17 and together with the rest of her classmates she is reaching the different milestones marked in the first phase of training.
Zarzuela has distributed images in which you can see how a second-grade student hands his sword to the Princess. It is the Academy that appoints the first-year “godfathers”, with whom from that moment the young cadets begin a close relationship. It is a tutelage that will last for life, by someone with whom you have a common city of birth or interests.
Doña Leonor and the rest of her classmates have formed in the central courtyard of the Academy. Also the second ones. The general director, Manuel Pérez López, dedicated a few words to the cadets. Next, the oldest member of the class prior to that of the Princess read a text in which he explained the importance of this act. “With this delivery, we create bonds of unity forever,” he stressed.
Next, the students paraded to the rhythm of different military marches through the center of the Academy courtyard, where they were placed in two rows, the second years facing the first years, and received the saber.
The lady cadet Borbón Ortiz and the rest of her companions wore the daily uniform with the maroon cadet cord, and the grancé beret that they received last week after passing some tough training tests in several maneuver fields near Zaragoza.
In the two months that the Heiress has been at the Academy, it is the third time that photographs of her life inside have been distributed. The young woman, who was immortalized on the day of her admission, last August 17, was also photographed on the first day of classes, where she was seen in a field uniform for training.
The Princess of Asturias has integrated perfectly with her companions and military life. She is very protected by the rest of the ladies and gentlemen cadets and shares a cabin with other girls from her promotion.
Every day, all young people can use the telephone to make a call to their parents, except when they are on maneuvers, where mobile phones are prohibited. Also for Doña Leonor, who has the same regime of permits and guards as her colleagues.
By receiving the saber, the Princess of Asturias and her companions endorse the honor, courage and loyalty that this distinction implies.
A specific study plan has been designed for the Princess of Asturias for the course she will spend at the General Military Academy. The Heiress began with those who will be her classmates, with whom she took the initiation and adaptation course to military life. After that, she is training in first-year subjects.
On October 7, Doña Leonor and the rest of her companions will swear in the flag in a new solemn ceremony, this time under the watchful eye of their parents and the press. After that moment, the Heiress will go on to take second-year theoretical subjects until she finishes the course in the summer, and then enters the Navy in Marín.