Princess Leonor receives Murcia’s highest honor and named Adoptive Daughter of San Javier

Princess Leonor of Asturias was awarded the Gold Medal of the Region of Murcia, the region’s highest distinction, during a ceremony at the Church of San Esteban in Cartagena on 3 June. In the same event she was named the “Adoptive Daughter of San Javier,” a town where she has completed much of her military training.

In her acceptance speech the heir‑presumptive quoted a line from local rock band Arde Bogotá and said she was “symbolically” closing a chapter of her training at the General Air and Space Academy, although she still has a month remaining. She highlighted her recent parachuting course – the first royal to complete it – and signed the region’s Golden Book, also a first for a member of the Spanish royal family. Leonor will finish three years of military education in July and then study political science at the Universidad Carlos III in Madrid.

The ceremony underscores the princess’s growing public profile as she balances official duties, military preparation and cultural engagement with the communities of Murcia.