Queen Letizia Cried in Public During Emotional Farewell to Her Daughter

Queen Letizia wearing a blue suit and covering her face with her hand as King Felipe looks down on her — (Image credit: Getty Images)

A touching royal farewell unfolded in Cádiz, Spain on Jan. 11 as Queen Letizia and King Felipe's eldest daughter, Princess Leonor, embarked on her next big adventure—a six-month voyage that kicks off her military journey. The 19-year-old princess's departure tugged at heartstrings, especially her mother Queen Letizia's, who couldn't quite hide her emotions during the formal send-off.

The Spanish queen, 52, wiped away tears as she and husband King Felipe waved goodbye to their daughter, who is preparing for her future role as head of the Spanish Armed Forces and eventually, Spain's queen.

Letizia—who routinely rocks stylish suits—sported a blue Hugo Boss trouser suit paired with a white tie-neck blouse and gold headband. King Felipe looked dapper in a naval uniform while Leonor, dressed in her own naval attire, made her way onto the Juan Sebastián de Elcano training ship as her parents looked on.

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"With sadness and with hope, it will be very good for her," King Felipe told the media (via Hello!), while Letizia chimed in, "It will be many months without seeing her."

Princess Leonor wearing a military uniform and hat smiling — Princess Leonor looked on with a proud smile from her ship.

Queen Letizia wearing a blue trouser suit covering her mouth with her hand standing with King Felipe who has his arm around her as they look at a ship on the water — The Spanish king and queen paid an emotional goodbye to their eldest child.

Queen Letizia wearing a blue suit and white tie-neck blouse waving from a ship standing next to King Felipe in a naval uniform — Letizia wore a white pussybow blouse with an elegant blue suit.

The voyage marks the start of three years of military training for the future Spanish queen, with Hello! noting that other European heirs to the throne like Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway have opted for shorter military training periods.

Princess Leonor is the eldest of the Spanish royal couple's two daughters, with the pair also sharing a 17-year-old daughter, Infanta Sofia.

The Spanish king shared a sweet message for his daughter before he watched her ship sail away, stating, "An experience, dear Leonor, that will remain, as it happened to me and also to your grandfather, among the best memories of your military training."

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.