King Felipe VI resolves mechanical failure that caused flag to fall during military parade
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- King Felipe VI of Spain intervened to resolve a mechanical failure during the Armed Forces Day parade in Vigo, where the national flag fell during the flag-raising ceremony.
- The incident caused the flag to fall on two soldiers, leading the monarch to order the flag to remain present without being raised and for his standard to be placed beside the mast.
- The ceremony also marked the official debut of Princess Leonor, who wore a badge signifying her completion of a voluntary paratrooper course, a feat not achieved by her father or grandfather.
A mechanical failure disrupted the start of Spain's Armed Forces Day parade in Vigo when the national flag detached from its mast during the flag-raising ceremony. The flag fell onto two soldiers guarding the structure, prompting King Felipe VI to take immediate action.
It is our job to lift them now. We know what they have given this team this season, and we would not be here without them.
The monarch ordered that the flag remain present at the ceremony, even though it could not be raised. He instructed the Royal Guard's standard-bearer to place his banner next to the mast in place of the fallen flag. This technical defect forced a reorganization of the protocol on the public street.
It's part of football, it's part of life. It's our job to lift them - and everyone else - and ensure that we come back even stronger next season.
Weather conditions had already led to the suspension of the aerial display and the paratrooper jump that was meant to deliver the flag. Consequently, members of the Army and Civil Guard carried the flag on foot to the ceremony plaza. There, soldiers stood at attention throughout the national anthem, despite the flag's collapse.
Marquinhos is a gentleman. He is probably one of the most experienced players on the pitch today. He has been on both sides of a final like this, and he knows what we are going through right now.
In another notable event, the Princess of Asturias, Leonor, made her official debut at the parade. She wore a badge on her uniform indicating she had successfully completed a voluntary paratrooper course at the General Air Academy in San Javier. This achievement is not recorded in the military training files of King Felipe VI or Juan Carlos I. The ceremony also included a tribute to fallen soldiers, with the royal family joining troops in singing a memorial march. This year's event implicitly honored two civil guards recently killed in an anti-narcotics operation in southern Spain.
It's not nice to miss a penalty in a Champions League final, but we love them.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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