King Felipe and Queen Letizia looked every inch the proud parents as Princess Leonor officially became a junior army officer today.
The Spanish King and Queen travelled to Zaragoza in Northern Spain for today’s ceremony, which saw Felipe hand out new appointments at the General Military Academy.
The Spanish King and his wife showed no hint of turmoil at the ceremony, which came just hours after the latest bombshell claims from her former brother-in-law Jaime Del Burgo, who earlier this year suggested they had an ‘affair’ after her marriage to the King.
The businessman – who dated the Queen when she was still a newsreader and was married to her sister Telma from 2012-2014 – has now claimed that he is still in contact with the royal in an interview with Argentinian newspaper Clarín.
He said: ‘We have shared many years of our lives together. We have been a family.
‘As I have always said, ours was not a relationship of lovers. The lover would be him, in any case. I mean Felipe.’
Princess Leonor is less than one year into her training at Zaragoza military academy, where her father was also a student from 1985-1988.
King Felipe was seen presenting his eldest daughter, 18, with a badge during the ceremony, which he attached to her uniform as she gave him a salute.
The future Queen has received her ensign’s commission at the Spanish General Army Academy today – meaning she is now a junior officer.
Afterwards, the King placed a loving hand on his daughter’s shoulders – before she took her spot next to him.
Later, Queen Letizia, who was dressed in an elegant white floral dress, was also seen giving her daughter a warm hug – as Leonor’s sister Sofia watched on.
Princess Leonor will complete three years of training at the military academy before then moving on to the General Air Academy.
When she first arrived at the academy, Leonor completed a module to help her adapt to military life – with the Palace releasing images of the royal taking part in lessons in the classroom.
According to heraldo.es, she is staying in a cabin with as many as twelve other students and was given basic military equipment before the first training session.
During her three years at the academy, Leonor will be entitled to a salary of €417-a-month. However, the palace has said she will not claim the salary.
Rather like a boarding school, the military academy follows a strict timetable during the week but Leonor will be free to return home at the weekends if she’s not on manoeuvres.
Leonor’s big day comes amid a turbulent time for the Spanish royal family, which began earlier this year with the publication of a bombshell book by veteran Spanish journalist Jaime Penafiel.
Letizia’s former brother-in-law told the author that he met Letizia before 2000 and their relationship began on a romantic trip to Venice, years before she met King Felipe.
Jaime – who is the son of the former politician Jaime Ignacio del Burgo – claims he was planning to propose to Letizia when she announced that she was dating a mysterious ‘diplomat’ over dinner at the Ritz hotel in Madrid in 2002.
Describing how ‘serious and significant’ their relationship was, the author made the unlikely claim that Jaime was ‘carrying an engagement ring his his pocket’ that evening.
Letizia reportedly told him that she had ‘met someone who would oblige her to quit her profession’, which Jaime said led him to deduce her mystery partner was Felipe.
After the pair reportedly decided to just be friends, Jaime is said to have advised Letizia: ‘Don’t announce the romance, just the wedding.’
Following their engagement announcement in 2003, Letizia – who had divorced her first husband in 1999 – asked Jaime to be a witness at their wedding.
What’s more, the royal’s ex-brother-in-law also made the far-fetched claim that he ‘dealt’ with Letizia’s pre-nuptial agreement and helped to front the cost of the Queen’s family’s wedding outfits.
He was quoted as saying: ‘When the wedding with Felipe came round, I dealt with the pre-nuptial agreement as you know, amongst other things.
‘I also had to pay Letizia’s family’s expenses because [former King] Juan Carlos refused to pay or even go halves with me. So with the help of my friend Felipe Varela, I dressed her mum, grandmother and her sisters. And with the help of Jaime Jason, her father, grandparents and a cousin.’
Jaime also made the incredible claim that the Queen asked to see him the night before the wedding at the exclusive El Latigazo restaurant in Madrid – where she asked him to ‘never leave’ her.
He sensationally claimed: ‘When we met, she took hold of my hand and asked me why I had never asked her to marry me. Obviously I didn’t reply. I encouraged her as best I could. The last thing she said to me before we said goodbye to each other in that restaurant was a request: ‘Never leave me.”
In the book, Letizia’s alleged ex-lover described Felipe as a ‘kind-hearted man’ and even goes on to say that he had a ‘great friendship’ with the royal. He told the author: ‘I told him my problems and he told [me] his.’
The businessman even claims that Felipe ‘uses [him] as a good man because he felt incapable of calming [Letizia] down’ on occasions.
Following the wedding, Jaime described how Letizia was like a ‘fox in a chicken coop’ as she was ‘cleverer than any of them’.
Jaime – who says the Queen nicknamed him her ‘yogi pal’ – claims he still had a romantic relationship with Letizia even after the wedding in 2004. He also claims he has kept ‘photographs, videos, mobile phones’ and text messages as evidence.
The businessman claimed that ‘love was always there’ in their relationship since they travelled to Venice together. The photograph Jaime shared on Twitter was taken during one of Letizia’s pregnancies between 2005-2007.
In the book, Jaime sensationally claims that Letizia whispered that she loved him when they were lying in a hammock by a pool at her home following Princess Leonor’s birth.
Jaime – who joked that Letizia’s alleged ex-lover should have been his co-author – is quoted as saying in the book: ‘Lying in the same hammock, under the pool porch, facing each other, Letizia told me ‘I love you’ and I responded ‘I love you’.’
Jaime Penafiel goes on to write that Jaime del Burgo subsequently wrote a play called ‘La Hamaca, which in English is ‘The Hammock’, and edited it but never distributed it.
Following this, Jaime alleges they ‘took steps forward with the goal of being free’ – which involved seeking legal advice and looking at properties in the US.