Being heir to the throne may sound glamorous, but in the case of Princess Leonor, it also implies discipline, effort and a preparation that goes far beyond public appearances.
At just 19 years old, the eldest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia is fulfilling a strict list of requirements that every future monarch in Spain must overcome. And they are not few.
The demanding steps Leonor must follow to become Queen of Spain
One of the toughest is military training. Since August 2023, Leonor has been part of the General Military Academy of Zaragoza, the same place where her father trained.
This year, she is already installed at the Naval School of Marin, where she will remain for the entire 2024-2025 academic cycle. She is currently on her voyage on the training ship Elcano. Afterwards, she will complete her passage through the Air Force.
All this is not decorative, in Spain, the head of state is also the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, and that requires knowing every corner of the uniform.
But his preparation does not stop there. He is expected to pursue a university degree and, according to some sources, he could lean towards some branch of engineering, which would mark a clear difference with his father, who studied law.
To this must be added her strong international background – she studied the International Baccalaureate at UWC Atlantic College in Wales – and her language skills.
Princess Leonor speaks Spanish, English and French, and has notions of Catalan, Galician, Basque… she has even started with Arabic. All this is key when representing Spain abroad.
We must also add that Leonor carries an expectation that is very difficult to measure, which is to connect with a society that is increasingly critical of the monarchy.
At a time when institutions are under scrutiny, it is up to her to build a close, modern and committed image.
This could be the biggest challenge of all, although we know that the Princess of Asturias is the most famous and beloved member of the Spanish royal family on social media. Every post about her on the Royal Family’s Instagram is flooded with ‘Likes’ and positive comments.