King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia presided on Sunday in Madrid over the central ceremony of Spain’s National Day, accompanied by their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía – the first time the family had appeared together at the event since 2020.
As every year, the traditional military parade saw some 4,000 members of the Armed Forces, Guardia Civil and National Police taking part.
Although the morning began under heavy clouds, the sun eventually broke through and the parade unfolded normally before thousands of spectators.
On arrival, Felipe VI greeted the dignitaries headed by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Defence Minister Margarita Robles, the President of the Madrid Region Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the Mayor of Madrid José Luis Martínez-Almeida.
A total of 3,847 personnel from the Armed Forces, Guardia Civil and National Police – 524 of them women – marched the 1,540 metres from Plaza de Carlos V (Atocha) to Plaza de Colón.
The ceremony began with one of its most striking moments: the jump by the Air and Space Force’s Parachute Acrobatics Display Team (PAPEA).
As has become customary, Prime Minister Sánchez was greeted with whistles and jeers – though less intense than in previous years – on his arrival at Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo, where the main VIP stand was located this year.
Spectators near the tribune booed Sánchez as he arrived in his official car, just a few minutes before the royal family.
It was the first time since 2020 that the full royal family had attended the National Day parade; in recent years either Leonor or Sofía had been absent while studying.
There were, however, several notable absences. Among cabinet members, Health Minister Mónica García and Youth and Childhood Minister Sira Rego were both abroad on official visits — to Germany and Jordan, respectively. Equality Minister Ana Redondo and Social Rights and 2030 Agenda Minister Pablo Bustinduy also failed to attend.
As in previous years, the Basque Lehendakari Imanol Pradales did not take part in the celebrations. Nor did the presidents of the Valencian Community (Carlos Mazón), the Balearic Islands (Margarita Prohens) or the Region of Murcia (Fernando López Miras), who remained in their regions following heavy-rain warnings from the national meteorological agency AEMET linked to Storm Alice. The socialist president of the Catalan regional government, Salvador Illa, did attend.
Another prominent absentee was far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal, who refused to attend the official tribune, saying he did not wish to ‘whitewash’ what he called Pedro Sánchez’s ‘corrupt and dangerous government’. He informed the royal household that he would watch the parade from the street to avoid sharing a platform with Sánchez – and later shared videos of himself on social media doing so (see below).
‘There is an indecent, corrupt and treacherous man at the head of Spain’s government,’ Abascal said.
Speaking to reporters away from the tribune, he insisted he meant no discourtesy to the king: ‘We excused ourselves to His Majesty. We told him that under no circumstances can we pretend normality while a corrupt-mafia government holds power in Spain. They cannot count on Vox for that.’
Also absent was the Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz, who is due to stand trial in the Supreme Court within a month on charges of breaching official secrecy.
Sánchez was among the first to leave the royal reception that followed the parade. On Monday, he travels to Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) to attend the signing ceremony of the agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza.
By contrast, the right-wing opposition leader and head of the People’s Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, attended both the parade and the royal reception, saying it was ‘a day to honour a great Spain’. He criticised both Sánchez’s early departure and Abascal’s absence.
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Los Reyes, junto a la Princesa de Asturias y la Infanta Sofía, han presidido los actos conmemorativos por el #DíaDeLaFiestaNacional en la plaza de Cánovas del Castillo (Madrid). #DFN25
➡️https://t.co/YIr5vfIAIF pic.twitter.com/H33LjMdkD6
— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) October 12, 2025
A pie de calle siguiendo el Desfile Militar del 12 de Octubre.@Santi_ABASCAL 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/IQMdnUmnRD
— VOX 🇪🇸 (@vox_es) October 12, 2025
Como cada #12DeOctubre, el desfile militar por el #DíaDeLaFiestaNacional pone en valor la labor de las Fuerzas Armadas y las FFCCSE. Este año, ha estado presidido por los Reyes, la Princesa de Asturias y la Infanta Sofía. #DFN25
➡️https://t.co/YIr5vfIAIF pic.twitter.com/wSgvv7Unez
— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) October 12, 2025
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