Pedro Sánchez has taken to the limit the strategy of speeding up time to avoid social protest in the central event of the National Holiday. The President of the Government waited inside his official vehicle near the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo until a few minutes before the arrival of the Royal Family delegation.
The maneuver, designed to dissolve the boos among the applause and cheers dedicated to Don Felipe, Doña Letizia, the Princess of Asturias and the Infanta Sofía, has not prevented a loud whistle from resounding loudly again when the head of the Executive descended, with shouts of: Pedro Sánchez son of a bitch! or Ceuta is not for sale!, evidencing wear and tear on the Paseo del Prado that has haunted it uninterruptedly for six years.
The Kings have been received with warm displays of affection by the thousands of citizens gathered along the route. The head of State, in his capacity as captain general of the Armed Forces, wears the dress uniform of the Air Force, following its usual annual rotation. At his side, the Princess of Asturias wears the Army uniform after having completed her three years of training, on a day where the public has anecdotally witnessed how the Fleece insignia fell off during the greetings.
Doña Letizia has debuted a pink dress, raising the solemnity of the event by wearing for the first time on her lapel a brooch belonging to Queen Victoria Eugenia's batch of jewelry. For her part, Infanta Sofía has skipped the strict dress protocol for the events, which requires a short dress for women, by opting for a red jacket and pants suit, a generational gesture that Doña Letizia herself already tried when she was Princess of Asturias.
Throughout the entire aerial parade, the Royal Family has been especially complicit, sharing constant glances, gestures of closeness and confidences in the gallery while commenting on the details of the passes over the Madrid sky. The protocol stamp has served as a contrast to the climate of strong partisan polarization that surrounds the Moncloa, where gestures of popular rejection have once again taken over the run-up to the military stoppage.
The political board of the day reveals notable fissures both in territorial representation and in the Council of Ministers itself. Added to the already confirmed casualties of the regional presidents of Navarra and Andalusia is the absence of a group of members of the Cabinet, with empty seats such as those of Óscar Puente, Sira Rego or Pablo Bustinduy. This void in the authorities' forum reflects the calculated ideological distance with which certain members of the Executive continue to face the national holiday. Those who have been there are the figures of the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, along with other regional leaders and party leaders such as Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
THE PARADE ITSELF
The moment most anticipated by the public has started with the arrival of the national flag in the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo. First Corporal Lago, a member of the Air Force Parachuting Acrobatic Patrol (PAPEA) and guided in the air by First Sergeant Matanza, has descended from the skies of Madrid with the flag measuring 24 square meters and weighing 15 kilos. His perfect landing in front of the stands has triggered a standing ovation on the Paseo del Prado.
After the solemn raising of the flag and the emotional tribute to those who gave their lives for Spain, the Mirlo formation should have flown over the center of the celebrations, but despite being seen in the background, they waited for the end of the aerial parade to make their triumphant entry.
It has been the great prelude to an aerial display that has ignited the enthusiasm of the attendees, especially the little ones, who looked at the sky with fascination. Minutes before twelve noon, the moment most acclaimed by children and families has featured four Eurofighter fighters from the 14th Wing, which have drawn the national flag in the Madrid sky minutes before striking 12.
The air deployment has been completed with the coordinated passage of 34 fighter aircraft, 16 transport aircraft and 32 helicopters. The popular acclaim has been accentuated when witnessing the flight of three Bombardier seaplanes of the 43 Group. The crowd broke into unanimous applause as they passed by, in direct recognition from the citizens to the crews who gave their all in fighting the devastating forest fires that devastated Spain during the summer months.
On the asphalt, the design of the military march shifts its symbolic axis towards North Africa. The absence of the troops stationed in Ceuta, deployed in the area after the serious border crisis at the end of July, has left the representation of the autonomous cities in the hands of the Melilla Regulars squad. The crowd gave them a warm welcome full of special applause as they passed, recognizing the efforts of the North African units.
The Regulars have closed the block on foot with their characteristic pace of 90 strides per minute, in an obvious counterpoint to the 160 steps per minute of the third Don Juan of Austria of the Legion and his mascot, the goat Babieca.
