The oath of Princess Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz: constitutional and parliamentary aspects (some reflections on the speech of Luis María Cazorla Prieto)

Abstract

On October 31, 2023, the Princess of Asturias, Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz, turns eighteen, which means that article 61.2 of the Constitution must be applied for the second time in our recent democratic history, in accordance with which, the Crown Princess, upon reaching the age of majority, must take an oath to faithfully perform her functions, uphold and enforce the Constitution and the laws, respect the rights of citizens and the Autonomous Communities and loyalty to the King. Given the proximity in time of this act, of great and evident institutional relevance, Luis María Cazorla Prieto, in charge of delivering the opening speech of the 2021-2022 Academic Year of the Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation, dedicated the mentioned speech to “The oath of Princess Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz (constitutional and parliamentary aspects)”.

 The reading of Luis Cazorla's speech offers a global vision of the different legal aspects that must be taken into account to prepare and execute the act of the oath of the Princess of Asturias, all based on the experience of the author, Secretary General of the Congress of Deputies at the time of the oath, as Crown Prince, of His Majesty King Felipe VI. The objective of this work, based on some of the issues raised by Luis Cazorla in his speech, is to share a series of reflections of a legal nature that can serve to contribute, as far as possible...