The princess Leonor has starred in one of the most curious moments of the military parade on October 12 in Madrid after the Order of the Golden Fleece came off her. The incident occurred during the events of the National Holiday, when the heir to the throne was alongside King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia and her sister, Infanta Sofía, in the moments before the start of the military ceremony. The insignia fell to the ground and the princess had to briefly interrupt her protocol position to retrieve it.
The reaction of Leonor, 20 years old, was immediate. Upon realizing that she had lost the decoration, she asked her father, King Felipe VI, for permission to bend down and pick it up, respecting the military protocol of the event. The princess retrieved the insignia and put it in her pocket to prevent it from falling off again. Later, once situated in the royal box, Felipe VI and Queen Letizia helped her to place the Order of the Golden Fleece back on her gala uniform of the Army.
Leonor's reaction and Felipe VI's gesture in response to the fall of the Order of the Golden Fleece
The small mishap took place at a particularly solemn moment of the day, coinciding with the preparations for the performance of the national anthem. The heir to the throne noticed that the insignia she was wearing on her uniform had come off and, instead of bending down directly, she turned to her father to request authorization. Leonor quickly picked up the decoration and continued with the ceremony, preventing the incident from disrupting the course of the official events.
The scene also left a gesture of family complicity between Felipe VI and his eldest daughter, as the monarch intervened to help her solve the problem. Queen Letizia also later collaborated to ensure that the insignia was correctly placed. The episode ended up being an anecdote without major consequences, but it drew attention for being a distinction of enormous historical and symbolic value that usually accompanies the Princess of Asturias in her most significant institutional appearances.
What is the Order of the Golden Fleece and why does Princess Leonor wear it
The Order of the Golden Fleece is one of the oldest and most prestigious orders of chivalry in Europe. It was founded in 1430 by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and later became linked to the Spanish Monarchy during the reign of the Habsburgs. Currently, it constitutes the highest distinction granted by the King of Spain and is reserved for personalities that the Crown wishes to recognize in a special way.
Princess Leonor received this decoration on January 30, 2018, coinciding with the 50th birthday of Felipe VI, during a ceremony held at the Royal Palace of Madrid. At that event, the monarch bestowed upon his daughter, who was then 12 years old, the insignia of the Order, highlighting the responsibilities she would assume in the future as heir to the throne. The award had been approved in 2015, when Leonor turned ten, although the official bestowal took place three years later.
The insignia represents a golden fleece, a symbol that gives the Order its name and refers to Greek mythology. In official ceremonies, it can be worn in different formats, including a reduced version that is pinned to the clothing. Precisely this last one is what Leonor wore in her military uniform during the parade on October 12 and which has ended up coming off in front of the cameras.
Leonor wears the Army uniform again after completing her military training
The celebration of the National Day of 2026 has had a special significance for the Princess of Asturias, as it is her first parade on October 12 after completing three years of military training that began in 2023. On this occasion, Leonor has recovered the gala uniform of the Army, the first of the three branches of the Armed Forces in which she received instruction.
The heir began her training at the General Military Academy of Zaragoza, where she entered in August 2023. Subsequently, she continued her preparation at the Naval Military School of Marín, in Pontevedra, and completed the final stage at the General Academy of Air and Space of San Javier, in Murcia. During these three years, the princess has combined academic instruction with practical activities and military exercises, including periods of navigation and aeronautical training.
Her presence at the parade in the uniform of the Army symbolizes a new stage in her institutional trajectory, once the military training planned for the heir to the Crown has concluded. Felipe VI has presided over the military parade dressed in the gala uniform of the Air and Space Army, while Letizia and Sofía have accompanied both from the authorities' tribune.
A October 12 marked by boos at Sánchez and military news
The incident involving Leonor occurred during a National Holiday that gathered thousands of citizens in the center of Madrid. The military parade, presided over by the Royal Family, featured 4,380 participants from the Armed Forces, the State Security Forces and Corps, and other institutions, in addition to a wide deployment of vehicles and aircraft.
The route went through the paseo del Prado and the paseo de Recoletos, passing in front of the royal tribune located in the Plaza de Neptuno. Among the highlights of the day were the parachutists' jump with the national flag, the tribute to the fallen, and the air display, in which four Eurofighter jets drew the colors of the Spanish flag over Madrid.
In the political sphere, the ceremony was marked by insults, whistles, and boos directed at the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, from some attendees, as well as by the absence of Santiago Abascal, who chose to celebrate October 12 in Ceuta. All this on a day conditioned by the proximity of the general elections on November 29.
Among the solemn acts, military displays, and political reactions, the fall of the Golden Fleece from Princess Leonor and the help of Felipe VI and Letizia to put it back on her have left one of the most striking anecdotes of the October 12, 2026 parade.