Parade October 12, 2026: what time it starts, route and where to watch it today on television

According to the Spanish Constitution, the Kings (in practice, the King as Head of State) have a relevant role in official events such as the October 12 parade, but their formal organizational powers are very limited. The ability to decide how the parade is organized essentially lies with the Government, not the Crown.

1. Constitutional role of the King in general

The 1978 Constitution establishes the Crown as an essentially representative and arbitral Head of State, not as a governing body. The key provisions are:

• Article 56: the King is Head of State, symbol of its unity and permanence, arbitrates and moderates the regular functioning of institutions, and assumes the highest representation of the Spanish State in international relations.
• Article 62: lists his functions (sanctioning laws, issuing decrees, calling elections, proposing a candidate for the Presidency of the Government, etc.). The “organization of official events” is never mentioned.
• Article 64: all acts of the King must be countersigned by the President of the Government or the competent ministers, who assume political and legal responsibility.
• Article 65: the King freely appoints and dismisses members of his Household and distributes the overall amount assigned to him in the Budgets, but this refers to the internal organization of the Royal Household, not to the organization of State events directed by the Government.

In summary, the Constitution does not grant the King the power to “command” how parades, tributes, or other official State events are organized. His role is that of protagonist and symbol in those events, not an operational decision-making body.

2. Official events such as the October 12 parade

The October 12 parade (National Day) is above all a governmental and military State event. From a legal-constitutional point of view:

• The declaration of the National Day and the determination of its forms of celebration derive from ordinary legislation approved by the Cortes Generales and developed by the Government.
• The specific organization of the military parade corresponds to the Government, particularly the Ministry of Defense, in coordination with other departments (Interior, Presidency, etc.).
• The King intervenes as Head of State and Captain General of the Armed Forces (art. 62.h, which grants him supreme command of the Armed Forces), but this “supreme command” is interpreted in a representative and symbolic sense. The political-strategic direction and material organization of the Armed Forces correspond to the Government.

In these events, the role of the Crown typically consists of:

• Presiding over the event or attending it as the highest authority of the State.
• Reviewing the troops, greeting authorities, and receiving military honors in his capacity as Head of State and Captain General.
• Embodiment of the representation of the Nation and the historical continuity of the State, according to article 56 CE.

All this is done, however, within a script designed and approved by the Government, not by unilateral decision of the King.

3. The principle of countersignature and the absence of own decision-making power

A key element to understand the limits of the Crown is the countersignature (art. 64 CE):

• Every act of the King (including his participation in official State events) is subject to the signature of the President of the Government or the competent minister.
• The countersignature implies that political responsibility always lies with the governmental authorities, not the King, who is constitutionally inviolable and not responsible.

Applied to the October 12 parade, this means that:

• The decision to hold the parade, its format, its scale, the military deployment, the protocol of authorities, and most organizational elements belong to the Government.
• The King’s intervention (presiding, receiving honors, delivering a speech, etc.) takes place within the framework defined by the Executive and countersigned by it, although there may be close coordination between the Royal Household and governmental bodies.

4. What margin does the King have then?

From a strictly constitutional point of view, the King’s margin in organizing official events is very limited and basically internal:

• He can organize and manage the Household of His Majesty (art. 65 CE), which includes agenda, personnel, logistics, and protocol aspects specific to the institution.
• He can make informal proposals or suggestions about the development of certain events, but always respecting the principle that executive power belongs to the Government.

Therefore, regarding the October 12 parade, the Kings of Spain:

• Have a central role of representation and institutional symbolism.
• Do not possess, according to the Constitution, a direct competence of organization of the event; that competence resides in the Government, which also assumes political responsibility for any decision made.

Princess Leonor of Bourbon and Ortiz (Madrid, October 31, 2005) is heir to the Spanish Crown and, as future supreme commander of the Armed Forces, has followed a specific three-year military training plan in the three branches of the Armed Forces. This itinerary, regulated by Royal Decree 173/2023 and detailed in successive agreements of the Council of Ministers and notes from the Ministry of Defense, has been intensively developed in the Army, the Navy, and the Air and Space Force.

General design of her military career

The official plan establishes a condensed military training over three academic years, one in each branch of the Armed Forces:

• Army: General Military Academy (AGM) of Zaragoza.
• Navy: Naval Military School (ENM) of Marín and a cruise on the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano.
• Air and Space Force: General Air and Space Academy (AGA), in San Javier (Murcia).

According to information released by Defense, the Royal Household, and the BOE, upon completing this cycle Leonor is expected to receive in 2027 the commissions of lieutenant in the Army and the Air and Space Force, and that of naval ensign in the Navy, once their classes finish the fifth ordinary course.

Training in the Army (AGM, Zaragoza)

The military training began on August 17, 2023 with her entry into the General Military Academy of Zaragoza. There she undergoes basic instruction with first-year students and carries out activities typical of Army officer training: instruction, shooting, marches, tactical exercises, and training in military values.

On October 7, 2023 she swore allegiance at the AGM and, after that event, joined the second-year cadets of the 82nd class. At the end of the first year, in July 2024, Defense and La Moncloa reported that:

• She was appointed cadet ensign lady of the General Military Academy.
• She was awarded the Grand Cross of Military Merit with white distinction (Royal Decree 655/2024).
• Her trajectory at the AGM is considered the first stage of an itinerary expressly designed for the heir.

Training in the Navy (Naval School and “Elcano”)

According to the same plan, the naval phase takes place in the 2024-2025 academic year. On August 29, 2024 the princess enters the Naval Military School of Marín, where she joins “as just another student” the third course, as emphasized by the Minister of Defense during her prior visit to the center. From then on:

• She is appointed midshipman first class by Royal Decree 737/2024.
• She completes an initial training period at the ENM, under conditions comparable to those of her peers.

The central part of her Navy training is the training cruise on the Juan Sebastián de Elcano (January–summer 2025), where she sails as a midshipman, participates in maneuvers, and serves as flag bearer during the oath of allegiance aboard, according to various reports and Defense notes.

At the end of this stage, on July 16, 2025 the Navy commission ceremony is held in Marín. At this event:

• Felipe VI awards her the Grand Cross of Naval Merit with white distinction (Royal Decree 650/2025).
• She is promoted to midshipman second class, in the same academic standing as the rest of her class.

Training in the Air and Space Force (AGA, San Javier)

The third course (2025-2026) takes place at the General Air and Space Academy, in San Javier. There she joins as a fourth-year ensign student, already in a very specialized phase of Air Force officer training.

During this period she achieves specific milestones:

• Completes the Basic Parachuting Course at the Alcantarilla base, becoming the first member of the Royal Family to parachute.
• Makes her first solo flight and subsequent flights piloting a Pilatus PC-21 training aircraft.
• Participates in an instructional flight parallel to King Felipe VI, both in different aircraft, as part of training at the AGA.

In July 2026, at the commission ceremony in San Javier, her military itinerary at the AGA is considered complete. At this event, the king awards her the Grand Cross of Aeronautical Merit with white distinction, and the academy director highlights that she has “successfully completed” all objectives, emphasizing her integration “as just another” in the class.

Institutional significance of this trajectory

This entire career has a marked institutional character: it does not yet equate to a full operational career as an Armed Forces officer, but rather to comprehensive preparation for her future role as queen and supreme commander of the Armed Forces. The plan’s design — three consecutive years in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, with academic ranks and grand crosses in all three branches — aims to familiarize her with military life, the chain of command, the means and missions of the Armed Forces, as well as the values of honor, discipline, courage, and loyalty officially highlighted in communications from Defense and the Royal Household.