It was not a typical birthday for an 18-year-old girl, but Princess Eleonor is not just any young woman. The swearing in of the Constitution following the coming of age of the heir to the Crown brought together, first in Congress and then in the Royal Palace, many of the protagonists of Spain's history of the last 45 years, who tried to transmit congratulations to the princess, words of encouragement, but also advice.
The last four former presidents of the government - Felipe González, José María Aznar, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Mariano Rajoy - took the opportunity - as it is not so common for them to be together - to talk... and most certainly the amnesty will be one of the matters to be discussed. The former minister and ex-secretary general of NATO, Javier Solana, and the ex-minister and currently high representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, who undoubtedly had in Gaza and Israel reasons for consultation.
Also the living fathers of the Constitution, Miquel Roca and Miguel Herrero y Rodríguez de Miñón, occupied the waiting room with a lively conversation, possibly about the constitutionality or not of the affairs that have been put on the table for the investiture of Sánchez .
All of them, with all the history behind them, did not limit themselves to congratulating the princess when the Kings and their daughters greeted the guests. They stopped and exchanged words of encouragement with her.
At the Congress, everything went according to plan, in an event modeled after the one in which the current King starred 37 years ago, with some variations. Then, the president of the Generalitat, Jordi Pujol, was indeed sworn in. Yesterday Pere Aragonès, no. Nor the lehendakari, who was there in 1986.
In the swearing in of Princess Elionor there were more absences, those of the parliamentarians of ERC, Junts, PNB and Bildu, in addition to those of Sumar, although some were there. The spokeswoman, Marta Lois, and the second vice-president, Yolanda Díaz, in addition to the minister Joan Subirats, did not miss the appointment. But it wasn't noticed much either - apart from the political significance - because deputies and senators from the other parties filled the chamber. The same happened with the absence of the ministers of Podem Ione Belarra and Irene Montero, and that of Alberto Garzón, of IU, because their chairs were removed and the holes were not noticed.
Meanwhile, the King and Queen, aware of the role played by the Princess of Asturias, were always on the lookout for their daughter; either by placing his tail, when the president of the, Pedro Rollán, imposed on him the medal of the Upper Chamber, or when the King, already in the Palace, explained to his heiress what they had to do when he made the toast ; the first for the Princess.
The Kings also tried to indicate to their daughter, when the applause of the attendees was already more than prolonged in the Congress, to make gestures for the authorities to sit down, but the shy Princess did it so delicately that the chamber did not understand. Felipe VI had to end up being the one to cut off the ovation.
From Congress, the royal family takes this applause, and the deputies and ministers in office, in one of their last acts, the selfies that they all took the opportunity to take in the special tribune set up for the oath in the background. The moment was historic. The social networks of the members of the Council of Ministers were filled with photographs of the event for history.
The official events ended with a lunch at the Royal Palace, where the Princess was accompanied by the two fathers of the Constitution, who undoubtedly enlivened the lunch by explaining how they made the Constitution, and the anecdotes that were undoubtedly experienced. At the table, with the Kings and their daughters, also sat the acting president of the Central Government, Pedro Sánchez; that of the Constitutional Court, Cándido Conde-Pumpido; that of the CGPJ, Vicente Guilarte, and the leader of the opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
The oath of the heir to the Crown was also immortalized in the book of honor of the Congress by her father Felipe, who highlighted the "pride and honor" of having accompanied his firstborn.
