This is an important event for the princess, who will inherit the crown from her father, King Felipe VI.
Her mother Queen Letizia and younger sister Sofia joined Felipe VI when Leonor was sworn in at a joint session of both houses of parliament.
Leonor wore a white suit and, as the national anthem played, placed her hand on the same copy of the Constitution as her father did 37 years ago.
“I swear to carry out my duties honestly, to protect the Constitution and its laws, to respect the rights of citizens and autonomous communities and to be loyal to the king,” she said.
Afterwards, the king embraced his daughter, and the Chamber of Deputies in Madrid erupted into loud applause for several minutes.
Left-wing parties, including three government ministers, and lawmakers from Basque, Catalan and Galician regional and separatist parties boycotted the event because they favor a republic rather than a monarchy.
Leonor became heir to the throne when Felipe VI was proclaimed king on June 19, 2014. Recently, her face has been seen frequently in the media and the term “Leonormania” has already been used, emphasizing her growing popularity as the modern face of the future monarchy.
Tuesday’s ceremony was necessary for her to take the crown and become queen one day.
Madrid City Hall set up giant screens in the central Puerta del Sol square so the public could watch the brief ceremony live.
A crowd outside the parliament waved Spanish flags and chanted “Long live Spain”. The streets were decorated with images of the princess.
The royal family is still struggling to regain its former good name in Spanish society after scandals involving several members of the family, notably former King Juan Carlos I, Leonor’s grandfather.
Juan Carlos I, who took the oath of office in 1969 when dictator General Francisco Franco named him as his successor, did not attend the ceremony.
According to the media, he is expected to attend a private party at El Pardo Palace near Madrid. This will be the first official gathering of the royal family that he will attend after going into exile.
Juan Carlos I came to power in 1975 after the death of Franco and was widely respected for his role in helping Spain transition from dictatorship to democracy.
But his reign has been marred by a steady stream of embarrassing media stories about his love affairs and personal wealth.
He abdicated in 2014 due to scandals and health problems, and in 2020 went into self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi amid an investigation into his financial affairs.
Leonor is currently completing basic military training at an academy in the northeastern city of Zaragoza. She speaks English, French, Catalan, which is spoken in Northeast Spain, and a little Arabic.
Not much is known about Leonor’s personality as she has not yet given any media interviews. But when she was presented with her high school diploma in Wales earlier this year, her classmates congratulated her and her teachers praised her “unwavering passion for learning, understanding people and exploring different perspectives”, adding that they would miss her sense of humour.
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