Infanta Sofia, now 18, is studying in Lisbon and has recently taken a step that signals the beginning of something new. Felipe and Letizia’s youngest daughter will assume the honorary presidency of the Docentes Referentes program, an initiative of the Ibercaja Foundation.
The official event is scheduled to take place before the summer, with Sofia as the sole protagonist. This is her first significant institutional role, and the timing is no coincidence. With Leonor increasingly established as heiress, it’s time for her younger sister to begin building her own profile.
This isn’t the first time Sofia has acted alone. We recently saw her step in for her grandmother, Queen Sofia, at the ONCE Foundation’s Guide Dog Breeding and Training Center while the Queen Emeritus was recovering from the death of her sister, Irene of Greece.
Before that, Sofia had already visited the Royal Collections Gallery at the Royal Palace on her own. Cultural events, emotionally charged, with an institutional presence. A pattern is emerging.
What is striking is the choice of position. An honorary presidency linked to teaching speaks to the image they want to cultivate for Sofia: a committed, approachable young woman with strong values.
It’s not a ceremonial position. And it comes at a time when the Infanta is away from Spain, studying the first year of a degree that will take her to three different European cities, with Lisbon as her first stop.