Princess Amalia of the Netherlands Follows the Military Training Steps of Princess Leonor of Spain

Princess Amalia, heir to the Dutch Throne, stepped into her military training career by drawing inspiration from Princess Leonor, the titled member of the Spanish Royal Family. Princess Leonor, daughter of King VI. Felipe of Spain, successfully completed her three-year rigorous and comprehensive military training in June, taking off her uniform. During this process, Leonor received training in the army, navy, and air force, and achieved some significant milestones that no member of the Royal family had accomplished before. This outstanding achievement was considered a great source of pride in both the Spanish and international press. Leonor's focus will now be on her undergraduate studies in Political Science, which she will begin in September at the Getafe campus of Carlos III University.

On the other hand, Princess Amalia, daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, also wants to follow in the footsteps of her Spanish counterpart. Amalia took her first step into military life by starting an internship program in the Royal Netherlands Air Force approximately three months ago. The young princess, who spent these summer months vacationing and making beautiful memories with her family and two sisters, completed her training this Thursday. With the start of the new academic term in September, another duty awaits Amalia in her military training. In this context, she is planned to join the Royal Netherlands Navy (Marina Real), which Leonor successfully completed last year.

The Netherlands Ministry of Defence also shared with the public the details regarding the advanced stages of the heir to the throne's training. Princess Amalia started her basic military training by participating in the Defensity College program in January. In the initial months, she gained experience in military formation, discipline, and basic knowledge in general terms. Subsequently, serving as an intern student at the Defence Staff, she encouraged other young people to join the army and military service during a critical period for Europe. However, it is noted that the princess's training program is not as extremely strict and exhausting as it is in Spain.

Princess Leonor's military training began at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza in August 2023 and continued at the Naval Military School in Marín the following year. Completing her final training year at the General Air and Space Academy in San Javier, Murcia, Leonor flew a fighter jet solo and dared to parachute. The Spanish princess always stood out for receiving her training without requesting any privileges despite her royal blood, demonstrating a high standard to the world. In contrast, Princess Amalia's training remains mostly at a symbolic level; as military transitions in the Netherlands involve much shorter periods for each force, even limited to a barely memorable duration. For instance, while Amalia stayed in the air force for only three months, Leonor's process spanned ten months.

Even though the Dutch princess is not subjected to an in-depth military training like her Spanish counterpart, she assumes an important role in this period of increasing international crises. Her uniform and photos taken with state-of-the-art weapons are considered a great propaganda and motivation tool to encourage young people to join the army. Experts note that Princess Amalia's role remains mostly encouraging and representative, while Princess Leonor, just like her father and grandfather, underwent truly rigorous training in all three branches of the military. This fundamental difference between the royal families and legal requirements in both countries constitutes the main reason for the disparity in the military training processes of the two princesses. While there is mandatory military training required to ascend to the throne in Spain, this is not sought as a mandatory requirement in the Netherlands.