From a young age, Leonor and Sofía began studying Catalan in the privacy of La Zarzuela, long before giving public speeches or taking on official engagements in Catalonia.
The Royal Household hired a governess with extensive experience in personalized education and proficiency in the state’s co-official languages, selected on the direct recommendation of the institution’s director of communications.
The training was offered on a regular basis within the family environment and was a deliberate commitment by the Crown to linguistic diversity in Spain.
The work of this teacher was key in the early development of language skills that complemented other languages such as English and Arabic, already present in the educational itinerary of Felipe VI’s daughters.
The learning was evident in 2019, during Princess Leonor’s first speech in Catalonia, a moment when the heiress won over everyone by speaking Catalan fluently.