The horizon of Lima shimmered beneath the morning sun as the Spanish Navy’s iconic training ship, the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, approached the Peruvian coastline with a royal passenger onboard— Princess Leonor of Spain. After departing from Cádiz on January 11, the vessel arrived on Peruvian waters this Thursday, met with ceremonial grandeur befitting its distinguished guest.
A 21-gun salute thundered across the Pacific from the ship’s deck as it neared the Peruvian Naval School, nestled on the La Punta peninsula. In perfect harmony, Peru returned the salute—a ritual of mutual respect dating back to the 16th century, when cannon fire declared peaceful intentions rather than threats.This stop in Peru, the fourth on the ship’s global journey, has stirred considerable excitement in a country whose historical and cultural ties to Spain run deep.
As the heiress to the Spanish throne, Princess Leonor’s presence has captured the attention of locals and media alike, turning her voyage into a symbol of continuity and quiet strength. Onboard the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, now in its 97th voyage, she is not addressed with royal titles but simply as another naval student. A young woman dressed in uniform, sharing quarters, scrubbing decks, adjusting sails, and learning the nuanced art of celestial navigation with a sextant—just as her father, King Felipe, once did more than three decades ago.
These weeks at sea are far more than a photo opportunity. They are an immersive military and personal odyssey, a rite of passage designed not to pamper, but to shape. The royal household has released glimpses of her journey: Leonor scaling the masts with wind-tousled hair, steady hands gripping ropes, her face lit with the quiet intensity of purpose. Days begin before dawn with maritime drills, and by sunrise, the cadets—including the Princess—are hard at work maintaining the ship’s pristine condition, ensuring it gleams as it pulls into each new port. There are no exceptions, no shortcuts. Onboard, duty always comes before pageantry. By Good Friday, the vessel will dock at the port of El Callao, where it will remain until April 22, giving locals and international observers a rare, extended glimpse into this chapter of the young Princess’s formation. The next leg of her journey will take her to Panama City, then Cartagena de Indias, Santo Domingo, and ultimately New York, before she crosses the Atlantic once more—touching Gijón, Ferrol, and finally Marín, where this transformative expedition will come to its end.
While recent paparazzi snapshots—of Leonor in a bikini during a stopover in Uruguay, or casually enjoying carnival festivities in Brazil with a beer in hand—briefly diverted media attention, the latest official images have elegantly restored the narrative. They remind the world that this voyage is not about leisure, but legacy. After all, history has a sense of symmetry: in 1987, a young Felipe himself made headlines while serving aboard the very same ship, his beachside photograph splashed across magazines during a stop in Rio. Now it’s his daughter’s turn—not to pose, but to prove herself. As the sails of the Juan Sebastián de Elcano billow toward the horizon, so too does the next chapter of Spain’s royal future.
