Elionor de Borbó, on the verge of coming of age, was, for her declaration of commitment to duty and service, the main protagonist of the Princess of Asturias awards ceremony, but she was also the reflection of the King who said that “Spain’s problems will come from unity, never from division”.
On a rainy afternoon, in which, as usual, both the awardees and the royal family made an effort to highlight the values ??of social commitment, without avoiding problems and conflicts, but always appealing to hope and solidarity, the Campoamor theater in Oviedo was once again an oasis of coexistence.
“I understand very well and I am aware of what my duty is and what my responsibilities mean”, assured the Princess in the words of having delivered the corresponding scrolls to the awardees, from an exultant Meryl Streep to a shy Haruki Murakami, passing through the proudly African Eliud Kipchoge. About them and the rest of the awardees, excited by the awards, Elionor stated that she aspires to feel identified with the values ??they represent.
The Princess referred in the first place to this October, which is so crucial for her life, that goes from the last swearing in of the flag, in Zaragoza, to the next swearing in of the Constitution in front of the Cortes. Between one event and another, the celebration of the Princess of Asturias awards was the occasion to make a statement of principles that, of course, does not cease to have extraordinary relevance. Eleonor knows her responsibilities and has a behavior guide in the actions and works of the various prize winners.
Princess Eleonor’s words preceded those of the King, in charge of closing a ceremony which, like the previous ones, becomes year after year a message of confidence in the future. The awardees are not only relevant people, they are also foci of hope in order to, as the King said, “continue trusting in humanity and in our ability to move forward; and thus, not to give in to the worst omens”.
Some longings that, at the beginning of the 21st century, have been interrupted with “the terrible return of wars that cause tragedies of great magnitude and global scope, that ignore and despise life, dignity and human rights”. How can one not have in mind the awards ceremony in 2023, when “the conflict in the Middle East is once again causing shocking suffering”, the ceremony of 1994, when the award for International Cooperation was given to then prime minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin, and to the president of the Palestinian National Authority Yasser Arafat. They received the award together and together they reiterated their efforts to create conditions of peace in the region following the process of the Madrid Conference. For them and their role, the King had words, as well as for King Hussein of Jordan, who also advocated for understanding in the area.
“Wars test the international order, and as a result of instability, the economy suffers with particularly harmful effects for the most vulnerable”, continued the King, who extended the long shadow of the conflicts until to democracies and the principles that sustain them. “Its fragility is a reminder not to fall into passivity.”
From the global to the particular, at this time when politics in Spain is particularly turbulent, the King defended that, if you want to build “something solid, lasting and permanent” in Spain, you must build it from “the collaboration and commitment of everyone” and with “integrative will”. He recalled that solutions will come “from unity, never from division”, since it is “with collective effort and solidarity attitudes that great works are built”.
The institutional significance of Princess Eleonor’s upcoming coming of age could not be left out of the words of someone who is, in addition to King and Head of State, a proud father, an emotion shared with Queen Letícia “for the sense of duty and the enthusiasm with which the Princess of Asturias is facing her future”. Princess Eleonor, said the King, “is at an important moment in her training in order to fulfill her institutional obligations”. After the flag oath, the Princess will swear the Constitution on October 31, “an act of enormous institutional significance, historical symbolism and personal commitment”, concluded the King.
Both the King and the Princess referred to the awardees, highlighting their “continuous and fruitful work to improve the lives of others”. They are all “beacon and guide”. When it seems that so many things have a difficult solution, we need to continue listening to their voices”.
