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King Felipe VI of Spain oversees his first Armed Forces Day Parade as monarch

Xinhua, June 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

King Felipe VI of Spain oversaw his first Armed Forced Day Parade as reigning Monarch and with the rank of Captain General of the armed forces on Saturday.

Although last year's parade which was held on June 8, 2014, was celebrated a few days after his father King Juan Carlos I had announced his abdication, the legislation to allow that to take place had not been passed and Felipe was present in his role as heir to the throne.

This year's parade was held in Madrid's Plaza de la Lealtad and saw the presence of 600 military personnel, as well as a fly past by seven Spanish air force C-101 aircraft.

The ceremony began with a solemn salute to the flag before the march past and the act, which lasted 25 minutes in total, also saw homage paid to Spanish military personnel who have lost their lives in the service of their country.

2015's Armed Forces Day kept in line with the austerity imposed in recent years, although the past week has seen the Spanish Armed Forces organize a total of 274 different events throughout the country. Endit