Turning 18 is not just any old thing, and even less so if you carry the Borbón-Ortiz surname. But unlike her sister Leonor, who marked her coming of age with an oath of the Constitution in Congress and all the institutional paraphernalia, the Infanta Sofia will spend her birthday out of the spotlight.
How will Sofia spend her birthday? She will spend it the same way as last year, she will be in Wales, resuming her classes at the UWC Atlantic College boarding school. Her celebration? No big events. No speeches. And without her parents.
This does not mean that her figure will go unnoticed. On the contrary. Those who have dealt with her closely draw a fairly definite portrait: she is extroverted, natural, with her own character and very aware of her place.
The youngest daughter of Felipe and Letizia knows she is not called to reign, but that does not mean she stays in the shadows.
Recently, the Royal House has made it clear that Sofia will not follow the military path of her sister. Her route will be different.
Those who work close to Zarzuela agree on the same thing, the Infanta Sofia is different.
There has always been a very measured image of the sisters, almost mirror image. Dressed alike, always together in official acts, a kind of mutual shield against the public spotlight. But time separates what childhood unites. And that is where Sofia begins to gain ground as a figure in her own right.
What does it say about the Infanta Sofia?
In her first solo act, which was in December, she presided over the National Heritage Award. The president of the institution, Ana de la Cueva, was impressed.
For Cueva, there were no nerves, no doubts. Sofia was approachable, smiling, and more experienced than one would expect at her age.
The sculptor Jaume Plensa, also spoke of his encounter with Sofia in his workshop.
Plensa revealed that the Infanta not only observed, but also participated. She began to form names in Arabic with the alphabets of the sculptures. She spoke of calligraphy, of linguistic nuances. The artist remembers her as a “global woman”, with real curiosity and without filters.
This naturalness was also noticed by the violinist Ara Malikian, who has seen her in the audience in several of his performances and has shared with her.
Malikian says she is a focused, sensitive, down-to-earth young woman. She likes sports, music, gastronomy. And most importantly, she likes to understand the world.
Infanta Sofia has also connected with people outside the institutional circle. Guillermo Gauna-Vivas, engineer and awarded by the Princess of Girona Foundation, revealed that Sofia is interested in science, technology, and was very curious about how a 3D printer works.
About to turn 18 on April 29, 2025, Sofia is clear about her place and assumes it with maturity.