A touching royal farewell unfolded in Cádiz, Spain on Jan. 11 as Queen Letizia and King Felipe's eldest daughter, Princess Leonor, embarked on her next big adventure—a six-month voyage that kicks off her military journey. The 19-year-old princess's departure tugged at heartstrings, especially her mother Queen Letizia's, who couldn't quite hide her emotions during the formal send-off.
The Spanish queen, 52, wiped away tears as she and husband King Felipe waved goodbye to their daughter, who is preparing for her future role as head of the Spanish Armed Forces and eventually, Spain's queen.
Letizia—who routinely rocks stylish suits—sported a blue Hugo Boss trouser suit paired with a white tie-neck blouse and gold headband. King Felipe looked dapper in a naval uniform while Leonor, dressed in her own naval attire, made her way onto the Juan Sebastián de Elcano training ship as her parents looked on.
"With sadness and with hope, it will be very good for her," King Felipe told the media (via Hello!), while Letizia chimed in, "It will be many months without seeing her."
The voyage marks the start of three years of military training for the future Spanish queen, with Hello! noting that other European heirs to the throne like Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway have opted for shorter military training periods.
Princess Leonor is the eldest of the Spanish royal couple's two daughters, with the pair also sharing a 17-year-old daughter, Infanta Sofia.
The Spanish king shared a sweet message for his daughter before he watched her ship sail away, stating, "An experience, dear Leonor, that will remain, as it happened to me and also to your grandfather, among the best memories of your military training."
