Día de la Hispanidad: los reyes presiden hoy el desfile de la Fiesta Nacional

King Felipe and Queen Letizia, accompanied by Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia, preside over today's traditional military parade in Madrid. Nearly 4,400 military personnel, 144 vehicles, 39 motorcycles, 50 aircraft, and 32 helicopters participate in the 1,540-meter-long parade, which begins at 11:00 AM from Carlos V Glorietta in Atocha to Plaza de Colón.

The parade is marked by political events, including King Felipe's visit to Ceuta tomorrow and the upcoming early general elections on November 29. Notable attendees include Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Defense Minister Margarita Robles, Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, and ministers of Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes Felix Bolaños, Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares, Education Milagros Tolón, and Science Diana Morant.

All autonomous presidents, except Juanma Moreno (Andalusia), María Chivite (Navarre), and Imanol Parda (Basque Country), attend the event. The aerial show features 34 fighter and training aircraft, 16 transport planes including a parachute jump plane, and 32 helicopters in 18 formations. The ground parade displays 128 vehicles, armored tanks, heavy military vehicles, 39 motorcycles, 286 horses, five dogs, and the mascot of the Third Don Juan de Austria Cavalry Regiment, a two-year-old goat named Babieca.

Kings will receive military honors and review the Honor Battalion in Plaza de Covallas del Castillo, where the royal box will be located. Following the flag-raising and tribute to the fallen, the Mirlo Formation, replacing the Eagle Patrol, will perform a flyover. After the military parade, the royal couple will inaugurate a reception for high-ranking state officials and representatives from political, economic, social, and cultural worlds at 13:00 in the Royal Palace.

The reception includes invitations to various representatives, government members, autonomous presidents, and political party representatives in parliament. Foreign Affairs President, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, will not accompany the monarchs on their visit to Ceuta and Melilla the next day, but he will be present through Interior Minister Angel Victor Torres and Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration Elma Saiz.