Spanish King & Queen Preside Over a Rainy Naval Ceremony

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia attended the graduation and enrollment ceremony of the Naval College of Marin, in northwestern Spain, Thursday. It was marked by a celebration of the Spanish Navy, and an intense rainstorm.

84 new naval officers swore allegiance to the Spanish flag, while 65 new naval students were admitted to the Naval College.

The King and Queen watched the students parade before them, and the King also inspected the battalion.

About 1,200 people went to the event, including Minister of Defense, Carme Chacon, President of the Xunta, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, President of the Parliament of Galicia, Pilar Rojo, and the government delegate in Galicia, Anton Louro.

The ceremony coincided with the feast of the Saint Carmen, the patron saint of sailors. It also coincided with heavy rain, which came pouring down at the beginning of the ceremony. That led to the outdoor mass to be cancelled, along with a speech by Captain José Luis Urcelay, the commander-director of the Naval College.