At 19 years old, Princess Leonor is first in line to the Spanish throne, but she also represents the continuity of the Crown through six noble titles that carry symbolic weight within the country’s institutional history.
Since the proclamation of Felipe VI in 2014, the eldest daughter of the King and Queen ceased to be an Infanta and assumed the rank of Princess of Asturias, along with the titles of Princess of Gerona, Princess of Viana, Duchess of Montblanc, Countess of Cervera, and Lady of Balaguer. Each of these titles is inherited from the ancient kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Navarre.
These titles are not merely decorative. According to protocol expert María José Gómez Verdú, they determine Leonor’s place in official events, the treatment she receives, and the forms that accompany her role as heiress.
A clear example is her presence at the Princess of Asturias Awards, where her annual speech follows an institutional script that transcends the merely symbolic.
On the day she is proclaimed Queen, these titles will no longer accompany her, as they will become part of the Crown. She will be treated as Her Majesty and will assume the functions of head of state, such as supreme command of the Armed Forces and the role of Sovereign of the Golden Fleece.
Meanwhile, her sister Sofía retains only the title of Infanta of Spain.
For Gómez Verdú, both represent different ways of serving the institution: one from the center of power, the other from a more discreet role, but equally linked to the monarchical narrative.