LETTER FROM MADRID
With her baby face, long light-brown hair, blue eyes and smile, Princess Leonor de Bourbon seems to have won the hearts of the Spaniards. In recent weeks, the heiress to the Spanish throne, about to celebrate her 18th birthday, has been the center of attention, stealing the show from everyone around her. With the possible exception of Meryl Streep, to whom the young woman presented the Princess of Asturias Prize for the Arts in Oviedo on Friday, October 20. And yet, her speech − "I am aware of what my duty is and what my responsibilities entail" − was hailed as a further demonstration of her maturity.
After the antics of her grandfather, King Emeritus Juan Carlos – from elephant hunting to millions of euros tucked away in Switzerland, to a former lover's complaint about harassment – which caused the monarchy's popularity ratings to plummet, Leonor could well reconcile Spain with the Crown. "To the Spanish, she inspires curiosity at the very least," said Carmen Enriquez, a former journalist specializing in Spanish royalty. "She has been overprotected since she was a child. We only had access to photos of her three times a year. Now she is taking her first steps into public life, and her image as future heir to the throne is growing. She showed a sense of duty and responsibility when she entered the military academy; she is young, smiling and spontaneous. For many, this is a revelation."
After two years in Wales, where she earned her International Baccalaureate at the Atlantic College, each of her appearances at public ceremonies is met with praise and affection on television. Broadcast by Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, the parade on October 12, Spain's national holiday, attracted an audience share of 48.4% and nearly 5 million viewers. This was the highest audience share in almost 30 years. It is difficult not to notice the "Leonor effect," when, for the first time, Leonor played an official role at the ceremony, dressed in army gala uniform alongside her father, Felipe VI, with whom she exchanged knowing glances.
Having become a cadet at the General Military Academy in Saragossa on August 17 - in keeping with family tradition, which requires the future monarch to study in all three army corps - she had already taken the oath to the flag, during which she promised, surrounded by 400 cadets from the Saragossa military academy, to serve and defend Spain. It was the most watched program on television on October 7. "Not a single article, opinion column or negative comment has been published in the press about the young woman since she returned to Spain. In this country, where it is already miraculous that parliamentary monarchy has withstood the crises it has endured, that is quite surprising," said Enriquez, author of several books on the royal family.
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