King Felipe VI and Princess Leonor take their first flight together in Murcia

As Princess Leonor's military training in San Javier comes to an end, she takes to the skies with her father, King Felipe, for a special joint flight

King Felipe VI and Leonor, Princess of Asturias have shared a training flight together for the first time ever as part of the Princess's military training at the General Air and Space Academy in San Javier.

The King and his daughter both flew Pilatus PC-21 aircraft during the exercise. Princess Leonor was accompanied in her aircraft by Captain Elena Gutiérrez, her instructor for the flight.

Images released by the Royal Family show Princess Leonor and King Felipe VI in a briefing room reviewing the flight plan and final technical details before take-off. Other images show them in flight, with the King piloting a separate aircraft alongside the Princess. Together, they flew over La Manga del Mar Menor in the Region of Murcia.

By the end of July, Princess Leonor will have completed three military training courses at the General Military Academy, the Naval Military Academy, and the General Air and Space Academy. At that point, she will receive her commissions as a lieutenant in the Army and Air and Space Force, and as a naval ensign in the Navy, taking part in official ceremonies in Zaragoza, Marín and San Javier alongside her fellow cadets.

At the beginning of June, she completed the Basic Parachuting Course at the Military Parachuting School in Alcantarilla Air Base, as part of her military training. This made her the first member of the Royal Family to complete parachute training, as neither King Felipe VI nor King Juan Carlos I completed it during their own military training.

A few days earlier, during Spain's Armed Forces Day parade in Vigo, King Felipe VI praised his daughter's “effort and excellence” in her military training, as she attended the event for the first time as a cadet officer in the Air and Space Force.

Images: Casa Real