to the Palacios del Medievo. Start this Friday, September 26, a small two -day parenthesis in its military formation in the Air and Space Army – to debut in the third of its principals: Viana, in Navarra. The heiress, in addition to Princess of Asturias and Girona, holds the title of Princess of Viana since 2014, after the abdication of Juan Carlos I and, therefore, her firstborn became the first in the line of succession to the throne of Spain. Today he debuts as as with the kings.
Founded in 1423 by Carlos III of Navarra for the heirs to the throne of this extinct kingdom to try to match others such as that of the United Kingdom, which gives the heir the Principality of Wales, or that of the Dolphin of France, that of Prince – today Princess – of Viana is the most modern of the three principals that Leonor holds. The Asturias was created for the heir to the throne of Castilla and that of Girona to that of Aragon. “It was fashionable in Europe that in those years the heirs would use this type of titles,” explains Jaime Salazar, a member of the Royal Academy of History.
Soon, however, the story left the Navarrese title in oblivion until in 1997, and the request of the Viana City Council itself, the then Prince Felipe de Asturias and Girona resumed it, and this is continued today by the heiress princess. “Lord, your visit to the city of Viana Colma a aspiration deeply felt by the Vianeses for many generations,” José María Los Arcos, upon receiving the then heir in June 1998.
This is the first time that this princess is in the north of the Peninsula. There is also the circumstance, that the princess is named after Leonor de Navarra, one of the first titular queens – “The Kingdom of Navarra fell a lot in women,” Salazar said. “We decided on Leonor, for his historical connotation and because we like them both,” said the then Prince of Asturias when he announced, almost 20 years ago, the birth of his first daughter. And as a curiosity, the expert points out that when Felipe VI’s firstborn is proclaimed queen, he would be “theoretically” Leonor I of Spain and II of Navarra.
This Friday and Saturday will be Leonor, sixth princess of Viana in history, which visits, accompanied by her parents, the region, starting in Pamplona. Upon arrival at the Government Palace of the Regional Community, where they were waiting for a hundred curious to whom they wanted to greet, they have been received by the president, (PSOE); the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations, Elma Saiz; the president of the Parliament of Navarra, Unai Hualde; and the Government delegate in Navarra, Alicia Echevarría. Then they have met with government counselors and parliamentary spokesmen. The Kings have been shown in the Elizabethan Hall of the Palace for the original document of the Declaration of the Principality of Viana – of more than 600 years old -, with explanations of Félix Segura, head of the Royal and General Archive of Navarra. The fact of having been able to see this former document has been for the princess, as he has expressed in her dedication in the Book of Honor of the Palace of Navarra, its commitment and responsibility “to even more understand its historical and symbolic dimension.” “I appreciate from heart the love with which you have received me on my first official visit to the Regional Community of Navarra. I feel great respect and esteem for what this title of Princess of Viana supposes and the fact of having been able to see that original document of more than 600 years ago in which this title is instituted for the heirs of the kingdom of Navarra,” said the heiress of the crown.
The Kings have also signed in the Book of Honor of the Palace of Navarra. “We greet with great affection to the institutions of Navarra and all the Navarrese and Navarras and share the joy of this first official visit of our daughter and heiress Princess Leonor as princess of Viana. Thank you for all the samples of affection and for the support so that the princess continues her way of knowing every day more and better this land and her people, who feels strongly her identity and history as part of the constitutional Spain to continue facing a better future.”
The next stop has been Viana, where after the visit to the City Council – with signing in the book of honor and greeting to the curious from the Balcony of the Consistory – they have toured an exhibition in the ruins of San Pedro dedicated to the sixth centenary of the noble title itself. In the afternoon is the turn of, where they will pay tribute to the kings of Navarra in the Monastery of Leyre. On Saturday the agenda will begin in, with a visit to its imposing royal castle, and, where it will stop at its town hall and maintain a meeting with a group of young people at the Palace of the Marquis of San Adrián.
Maybe Saturday is the most charged day of historical symbolism. The princess and the kings will go to the monastery of Leyre, where the monarchs of the kingdom of Navarra have burial. There they were held until 2015 – actor Alfredo Landa, the painter Antonio López or the writer Dolores Redondo have been some of the winners – who, however, under the Foral Government of Uxue Barco (of Geroa Bai, the Basque Nationalist Party of the left) they wanted to separate themselves from the royal family and became held in olite. Felipe VI and Letizia Ortiz have been without appearing since then. But with this visit, says Salazar, it is expected that there will be some “institutional normality.”
Although Princess Leonor already has some experience in speaking in public – he did it for the first time at the Princess of Asturias Awards – it is not planned that this time he will do any intervention. Nor the kings, according to sources from La Zarzuela. The last time he was seen publicly with his parents was last August, coinciding with the reception at the Marivent Palace that is offered every year to representatives of the Balearic civil society. Precisely, where she was accompanied by her sister, Infanta Sofia, Los Reyes and Queen Sofia.
