Princess Leonor of Spain has marked a major milestone in her military training as she successfully piloted an F5 fighter jet in Badajoz.
Leonor, 20, flew the plane under the supervision of an instructor at a flight school located on the Talavera la Real Air Base on April 22.
The princess had visited the Fighter and Attack School Wing 23 at the air base alongside her classmates at the General Air and Space Academy in San Javier, after she began three years of military training in 2023.
A video filmed last month showed Leonor smiling as she gave onlookers a thumbs-up from the cockpit before taking flight.
The royal was poised and graceful as she deboarded the plane before shaking hands with instructors and posing for pictures with her fellow students.
As she is the heir to the throne, Leonor will one day take the title of Commander in Chief of the armed forces and therefore has to spend time in each section of defence.
Later this year, Leonor will begin a four-year university degree in Political Science at the Carlos III University of Madrid, the royal household confirmed.
At the Spanish university, Leonor will study courses in humanities, economics, sociology, history and international relations as she prepares for her future as queen, the statement said.
Princess Leonor of Spain recently marked a major milestone in her military training when she successfully piloted an F5 fighter jet in Badajoz
A video showed Leonor smiling as she gave onlookers a thumbs-up from the cockpit before taking flight
Princess Sofia of Spain, Crown Princess Leonor of Spain and Queen Letizia of Spain attend The National Day Military Parade on October 12, 2025
Leonor is currently in the final stages of her training at the General Air and Space Academy, which follows a year-long stint at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza and six months onboard Juan Sebastián de Elcano, a Spanish Navy training ship.
Last July, the Princess of Asturias, as Leonor is also known, received the Grand Cross of Naval Merit from her proud father, King Felipe, at the prestigious Naval Military Academy in Marín, Pontevedra.
The award acknowledged her commitment and connection to Spain’s armed forces and marked an important moment in her royal journey.
The Navy Merit Grand Cross is a high-level military decoration awarded for distinguished service within the Navy.
Leonor’s mother Queen Letizia and younger sister Princess Sofia beamed as they watched the ceremony.
The royal started her aeronautical training after arriving in San Javier last September.
A message written in the Academy’s Book of Honour by Leonor said: ‘Today I begin the third stage of my military training at this General Air and Space Academy. I look forward with enthusiasm to this course, during which I will have the opportunity to begin my aeronautical training and, alongside my classmates, learn the practical and theoretical aspects of military aviation.’
The ‘flight fit’ princess attended several theoretical classes before she took to the skies – with the flight last month marking a significant achievement in her military career.
After completing the course, Leonor will hold the rank of ensign in the Spanish army and air force as well as midshipman in the navy, according to the Todo Alicante news outlet.
Leonor is currently in the final stages of her training at the General Air and Space Academy
Leonor, 20, flew the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter under the supervision of an instructor at a flight school located on the Talavera la Real Air Base on April 22
Princess Leonor was poised as she shook hands with flying instructors
The Princess is following in the footsteps of her father King Felipe, as well as her grandfather Juan Carlos, who all attended military training with all three of the armed services in the country.
Before she started her three-year training, Leonor revealed her enthusiasm for becoming a cadet at the Princesa de Girona Foundation award ceremony in Girona last year.
She said at the time: ‘I have just finished high school and I am about to start a new stage with a period of military training.
‘I am happy because I know how much the Spanish value our armed forces… it is an important moment in my life and I feel very excited and determined to continue learning and giving my best effort.’
It comes after Princess Leonor of Spain debuted her Air Force uniform as she joined her family, including sister Infanta Sophia, 18, for the Spanish National Day celebrations last October.
While all eyes were, as ever, on the whole family, many were interested in seeing Princess Leonor, who has been increasing her public profile in recent times – even making her first official visit to the parliament building the Palacio del Gobierno de Navarra one month prior.
Leonor, who graduated from UWC Atlantic in Wales – known as ‘Hippy Hogwarts’ – also shared an emotional moment with her mother last May when they were reunited after months apart.
The Spanish royals paid no heed to royal protocol when they met at the Port of Fuerte Amador in Panama City, after Letizia flew more than 8,000 miles across the globe to see her beloved daughter.
Princess Leonor had been away from her family and friends while completing her navy training course around the world.
Moving video footage from the Spanish Royal Household captured the moment they were finally reunited, with Leonor running across the port to greet her mother.
She was soon embraced in an effusive hug that was so powerful that Leonor had to take her hat off, while the Queen had tears in her eyes.
They were then pictured excitedly catching up, as Leonor had been on a whirlwind adventure.
