The kings, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía posed this Wednesday on the main balcony of the Royal Palacethe one located in the Throne Room, a scene never seen before, from where they witnessed the development of the solemn relief of the Royal Guard, the first of the acts to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the proclamation.
If a decade ago the royal family looked out on the balcony that overlooks the Plaza de Oriente, in front of the Teatro Real, on this occasion they did so at the viewpoint that overlooks the Patio de la Armería and the Almudena Cathedral in front of the units. made up of the Royal Guard, the three Armies and the Civil Guard.
The main balcony has been decorated with a white canopy and a pastry stand with the coat of arms of Spain and in the side windows, smaller ones have been displayed with the emblems of the autonomous communities.
Don Felipe, Doña Letizia and their daughters have waved to the thousand of citizens who followed the event in a grandstand and in chairs installed in the Armory and which have been applauded when they appear on the balcony.
Unlike ten years ago, when Leonor de Borbón was eight years old and her sister was seven, Kings Juan Carlos and Sofía have been missing from the imageabsent from the events planned today to commemorate the tenth anniversary of their son’s reign.
By focusing on Felipe VI, the King’s House has not considered the presence of the emeritus justified, nor were they present at the swearing-in of the Constitution of the Princess of Asturias on October 31.
Compared to other European royal houses, Seeing the royal family on the balcony of the Royal Palace is a very unusual image.
In addition to the day of the proclamation, Don Felipe and Doña Letizia appeared together on the balcony overlooking the Plaza de Oriente a decade earlier, on their wedding day, May 22, 2004, when they received an ovation from the accompanied citizens. by Kings Juan Carlos and Sofía and the parents of the then princess, Jesús Ortiz and Paloma Rocasolano.
In the case of the viewpoint that overlooks the Armory patio, there is a precedent from November 2, 1982, when Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía, together with the prince and the infantas Elena and Cristina, were there with Pope John Paul II , who addressed a few words to the people present in the square during his visit to Madrid.
He relief of the Royal Guard has been the first of the planned events in the Royal Palace during the day in which the kings participate to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the proclamation, with the motto “Service, commitment and duty” chosen by the monarch.
This ceremonial, which imitates the one that was performed daily in the times of Alfonso XII and Alfonso XIII, is usually done on the first Wednesday of each month in the Armory with the participation only of the Royal Guard.
Today’s news has been the passage of the Eagle Patrolleaving the wake of the colors of the national flag, and that the incoming guard has been made up of units from the three Armies and the Civil Guard, who have wanted to join in this way in the tribute to Felipe VI.
The section of the ‘Inmemorial del Rey’ Infantry Regiment number 1, that of the Madrid Marine Infantry Group, that of the Security Group of the Air and Space Army and that of the Saber Squadron of the Civil Guard have formed in the Plaza Mayor and from there They have paraded down Calle Mayor to the Armory.
All the units participating in the solemn relay have paid military honors to the kings and their daughters at the entrance to the palace aboard two vintage Rolls Royce under the strains of the national anthem performed by the Royal Guard music band.
Once the relay is over, the royal family will star in the second actconsisting of the imposition of decorations for Civil Merit to a group of 19 anonymous citizens from all the autonomous communities, Ceuta and Melilla.
At this event and at the subsequent lunch, the powers of the State will be thereamong them, the head of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and those who have held the presidency of constitutional bodies since 2014.
