Spanish Royal Family Presides Over Armed Forces Day Amid Military Reinforcement
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia oversee the central ceremony in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, attended by over 2,000 military personnel.
On June 7, 2025, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia presided over the central ceremony of Armed Forces Day, held in the streets of Santa Cruz de Tenerife—the second occasion in history this event took place outside the mainland.
The ceremony featured the participation of 2,266 military personnel, along with 35 aircraft, 21 helicopters, 67 vehicles, and 33 motorcycles.
The royal couple engaged with the public before the parade, receiving applause and cheers from the gathered citizens along the route.
This year, there were no major protests against government officials, a departure from past years, as Minister of Defense Margarita Robles remained distanced from the crowd.
This event coincides with heightened military focus leading up to a NATO summit in The Hague, where the United States is expected to urge allies to increase defense spending to 5% of their GDP—a target that Spain is unlikely to meet in the near term.
King Felipe VI has marked several military-related engagements this month, having presided over a naval review in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, the day prior to Armed Forces Day, and is scheduled to visit Spanish troops deployed in Slovakia and Romania under NATO's framework for defense and deterrence against threats posed by Russia, especially following the invasion of Ukraine.
Traditionally, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez did not attend the main Armed Forces Day event.
Instead, he expressed his appreciation via social media, thanking all service members for their commitment to a safer and more stable world.
Recently, both Robles and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska have maintained a low public profile, reflecting governmental tensions over increasing military expenditures demanded by NATO, which has created discomfort among some parliamentary partners.
At approximately 12:30 PM local time, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia arrived at the royal tribune, greeted by Minister Robles and Chief of Defense Staff Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón. After salutations with local officials including the President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, the royal family witnessed a parachute display by the Air Force's acrobatic team (Papea).
The ceremony included a flag-raising and tribute to fallen servicemen, followed by an aerial display from the Patrulla Águila, which painted the sky with the colors of the national flag.
A total of 3,266 military personnel, including 13% women, from the Army, Navy, Air and Space Forces, Military Emergency Unit (UME), Royal Guard, and Civil Guard participated in the 1,120-meter parade.
The aerial display was followed by a ground parade concluding with another aerial performance by the Patrulla Águila, reaffirming the tradition of honoring Spain's Armed Forces.
The ceremony featured the participation of 2,266 military personnel, along with 35 aircraft, 21 helicopters, 67 vehicles, and 33 motorcycles.
The royal couple engaged with the public before the parade, receiving applause and cheers from the gathered citizens along the route.
This year, there were no major protests against government officials, a departure from past years, as Minister of Defense Margarita Robles remained distanced from the crowd.
This event coincides with heightened military focus leading up to a NATO summit in The Hague, where the United States is expected to urge allies to increase defense spending to 5% of their GDP—a target that Spain is unlikely to meet in the near term.
King Felipe VI has marked several military-related engagements this month, having presided over a naval review in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, the day prior to Armed Forces Day, and is scheduled to visit Spanish troops deployed in Slovakia and Romania under NATO's framework for defense and deterrence against threats posed by Russia, especially following the invasion of Ukraine.
Traditionally, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez did not attend the main Armed Forces Day event.
Instead, he expressed his appreciation via social media, thanking all service members for their commitment to a safer and more stable world.
Recently, both Robles and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska have maintained a low public profile, reflecting governmental tensions over increasing military expenditures demanded by NATO, which has created discomfort among some parliamentary partners.
At approximately 12:30 PM local time, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia arrived at the royal tribune, greeted by Minister Robles and Chief of Defense Staff Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón. After salutations with local officials including the President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, the royal family witnessed a parachute display by the Air Force's acrobatic team (Papea).
The ceremony included a flag-raising and tribute to fallen servicemen, followed by an aerial display from the Patrulla Águila, which painted the sky with the colors of the national flag.
A total of 3,266 military personnel, including 13% women, from the Army, Navy, Air and Space Forces, Military Emergency Unit (UME), Royal Guard, and Civil Guard participated in the 1,120-meter parade.
The aerial display was followed by a ground parade concluding with another aerial performance by the Patrulla Águila, reaffirming the tradition of honoring Spain's Armed Forces.
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