Edition: 325
Saturday 31st May was the Day of the Armed Forces, and King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía presided over the main ceremony to commemorate the event, accompanied by Prince Felipe, the heir to the throne. This year’s event was very low key compared with other years, in tribute to the recent death of 62 Spanish soldiers who were killed when their plane crashed into a mountainside in Turkey while they were returning from Afghanistan. The key ceremony at Gando air base in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, lasted only 35 minutes, just 30 planes took part in the fly-past, and there was no traditional “wine of honour”. Speaking afterwards, King Juan Carlos said he hoped everybody would understand – and he knew they would – that this could not be a day of celebration because of last week’s tragedy. A short meeting took place after the ceremony between the King, military officials and guests, and one person who had been present is quoted as saying afterwards that there was a noticeable sense of general depression in the aftermath of last week’s tragedy.
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