Spain. New Silver Commemorative Coins Highlights Military Training of Crown Princess

This year's silver face value commemorative coin marks another milestone in which the Royal Household and the Real Casa de la Moneda have closely collaborated. The Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre - Real Casa de la Moneda has issued three commemorative coins to date, highlighting important moments in the life of Princess Leonor of the Asturias and heir to the Spanish throne. The first portrayal on Spanish coinage of the young Princess together with her father occurred in 2018 for the 1300th anniversary of the Kingdom of the Asturias. In 2023, the FNMT released a coin to celebrate the heir to the throne's 18th birthday with a sole effigy. For 2025, the annual commemorative silver coin celebrates the voyage of the iconic Training Cruiser Juan Sebastián Elcano ship as well as the Princess's commitment to her military training.

The Crown Princess’ connection with the Training Cruiser takes on a very important national priority. In addition to serving as preparation for her future appointment as Captain General of the Spanish Navy, it is also a symbol of Spain's long-standing maritime tradition, as well as of the Spanish Navy's excellence in training new sailors. Crown Princess Leonor of Spain is preparing for the next phase of her military training during which time she will spend 6 months on a student ship Juan Sebastian de Elcano. Named after the Spanish explorer captain of Ferdinand Magellan's last exploratory fleet and the man who completed the first circumnavigation of the world, the ship carries the Elcano coat of arms which was granted to the family by Emperor Charles I. This followed with Elcano's return in 1522 from Magellan's global expedition. The coat of arms depicts a globe with the motto ‘Primus Circumdedisti Me’ (I am the first to circumnavigate).

The Princess of Asturias boarded the Naval Military School Ship from the Port of Cadiz in January. At that time, the ship set sail from the Port of Cadiz on its voyage to the Americas during the next 6 months which will cover approximately 20,000 miles. From Cadiz, the ship will arrive at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas, the Canarian ports from where it will leave for Brazil. The next destination is Chile, crossing the Strait of Magellan and then sail along the South American coast of the Pacific Ocean. In April, it’s expected that ship will arrive in Peru and then will head for Panama. From Panama the next route is towards Caribbean Sea with stops in Colombia and Santo Domingo. In June the ship is expected arrive in New York and in July the Cruiser will have completed its route and dock back in Spain at the port of Gijón.  However, Crown Princess Leonor will disembark the ship in New York and then board an airplane back to the Naval Academy and complete the last leg of her training. She will re-join the ship in Gijón and reach the final destination in Ferrol after visiting 8 different countries in Americas and the 17th training cruise of the ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano.

The obverse side of the coin depicts a second sole effigy of the Crown Princess facing to the left. She is shown dressed in the uniform of a Spanish Naval Midshipman. Above her image is the title of her father FELIPE VI REY DE ESPANA 2025 and below the image, PRINCESA LEONOR with the text separated by small anchors representing the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano. The reverse side of the coin features a detailed and colour representation of the historic training sailing ship and its mission for training future officers of the Spanish Navy. The inscription XCVII CRUCERO DE INSTRUCCIÓN - JUAN SEBASTIÁN DE ELCANO is seen above above the primary design and along the rim. Between the legend and ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano is the denomination 40 EURO. Placed to the right of the ship is a security feature of a quadruple latent image including the insignias of the crowned M mintmark of the Real Casa, the steering wheel of the ship, waves and the numeral 25.

 Available from the 2^nd June, the BU strike coins are encased in a cellophane sealed bag and available from commercial banks, post offices and selected retail outlets for their face value. A total of 10,000 BU coins as part of the total mintage will also be available in a blister-pak commemorative folder that includes narrative text and images. For additional information, please visit the online webshop of the Real Casa de la Moneda.