Spanish crown princess’s first visit to Ceuta during naval training

Spanish Crown Princess Leonor de Borbón is expected to visit the occupied city of Ceuta for the first time in June 2025 as part of her military training program with the Spanish Navy. She will arrive aboard the frigate Blas de Lezo, which will dock in Ceuta for 48 hours from June 21 to June 23.

Spanish media, including El Faro and El Mundo, highlight the symbolic significance of her visit to this strategically important and heavily militarized enclave, although no official events are planned during the brief stopover, which is considered a technical port call in her training schedule.

Princess Leonor will board the frigate on June 14 in the Canary Islands and will remain on the ship until July 3. The crew includes 210 members, among them five other cadets from the Naval Military Academy in Marín.

Before docking in Ceuta, the Blas de Lezo will take part in the Sinkex25 military exercise alongside 12 other frigates and 16 aircraft. This large-scale maneuver involves over 100 drills focusing on high-intensity combat scenarios including underwater, surface, and anti-air warfare, with live ammunition exercises scheduled for June 15 and 16.

Rear Admiral Juan Bautista Pérez-Puig described Sinkex25 as an advanced test of naval capabilities in high-intensity situations, involving Harrier jets, F-18s, C16s, Harpoon missiles, and torpedoes from the submarine S-81 Isaac Peral.

Following these exercises, the Dedalo 25.2 exercise will simulate a deterrence operation, with several ships, including the aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I and the frigate Blas de Lezo, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar and stopping in Ceuta. Other ships will dock in Málaga.

The Spanish Navy is conducting these exercises in cooperation with France, Italy, and Portugal as part of the NATO Neptune Strike 25-2 operation, aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation in European waters. Princess Leonor’s journey will conclude in Gijón, where she will join the ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano before finishing her training on July 13 in Marín.