The military parade on October 12 in celebration of the National Day has taken place without incident, beyond the usual booing of the President of the Government if he is a socialist, and with the participation of 4,700 soldiers, 142 vehicles and 86 aircraft.
His Majesty King Felipe VI has presided over the military exhibition accompanied by Queen Letizia together with the Princess of Asturias, Leonor, with the dress uniform of the land army, which was making its debut in these battles.
The route of this edition began in Plaza Carlos V and continued along Paseo del Prado and Paseo de Recoletas to Plaza Colón, with the royal and authorities’ tribune located in Plaza de Neptuno.
The Eagle Patrol has flown over Madrid on three occasions, dyeing the sky with the colors of the national flag; after the tribute to those who gave their lives to Spain, to finish the aerial parade, and to conclude the event.
For the first time, a woman, Corporal María del Carmen Gómez Hurtado, who was already in charge of the jump in the central event of the Armed Forces, has starred in the descent with the flag, on the right side of the grandstand due to the wind .
The attendees welcomed the President of the Government with boos, whistles and shouts of “Let Txapote vote for you”, “Pedro Sánchez resign” or “Pedro Sánchez Sinvergüenza”. Also “Puigdemont to Prison” or “Spain is one and not 51.”
Princess Leonor, by surprise, accompanied the King in the offering of the laurel wreath to the memorial of the deceased soldiers.
The representatives of the political parties, Santiago Abascal, Patxi López, Cuca Gamarra and Alberto Núñez Feijóo attended the celebration. The event was also attended by all members of the Executive, with the exception of the Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, who is in Chile, and the Vice President Nadia Calviño, at the Marrakech summit. The presidents of the Autonomous Communities have also attended with the exception of Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu, on a trip to Japan, and the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonés, in Italy.
The Spanish Air Force has carried out a demonstration of in-flight supply to a Eurofighter and an F-18 fighter, one of the most delicate operations carried out in the air.
The Air Force fighters in a diamond formation are part of the 73 aircraft of this type that the army has, which can reach 2,500 km/h.
It is the first time that the Princess of Asturias presides over the parade dressed in uniform, alongside the King, days after her swearing in to the flag, and with the swearing in of the Constitution scheduled for October 31, the day she turns her majority. old.
The members of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) have paraded through Madrid representing the body that guarantees the deployment of resources in less than four hours, and that has made several interventions after the earthquakes in Turkey and Marrakech.
The Princess of Asturias smiles shyly as she watches the battalion of Army students parade, her classmates in their second military training course.
The Legionnaires greet the king accompanied by the Pacoli goat, the mascot of the Legion corps, which already paraded four years ago. The Legionaries have two San Fernando laureates, the highest distinction in the country, and parade at a pace of 160 steps per minute, unlike the usual 124 steps per minute of the rest of the corps.
The Groups of the Regulars of Melilla slow down to 90 steps per minute as they pass in front of the royal tribune. The unit is responsible for the protection of the Peñón de la Gomera, and they wear the traditional tarbush hat.
The members of the Civil Guard rode purebred Spanish horses from the stud farms of the Cría Caballar of the Armed Forces.
A dog from the National Police parades on the hood of a police vehicle along with the other vehicles of the State Security Forces and Bodies.
Among the military vehicles that have participated in the parade, different models of tanks; a Leopard, a Pizarro and an M-109 howitzer.
King Felipe VI and the Princess of Asturias give the military salute during the tribute to the soldiers who gave their lives to Spain.
