In her brief return to Spain to attend the Princess of Asturias Awards, Leonor has made it clear that she is preparing to become Queen of Spain. Here are the keys to understanding the princess’s renewal.
Leonor turned 16 on October 31 and from Zarzuela they already see her as the great jewel of the Crown. Kings Felipe and Letizia have been progressively introducing the heiress into the public life of Spain, especially in the last two years.
The most outstanding changes of Leonor, the future queen of Spain
- Physical change: it is evident and logical that Leonor is no longer a girl, and that was evident in the concert of the Princess of Asturias awards. The features of his face have ceased to be childish.
- She speaks nine languages: in 2019, Leonor gave her first speech in Catalan at the Princess of Girona Awards. At the same event, he congratulated one of the laureates in Arabic. In addition to these two languages and Spanish, he is fluent in English and studies Basque, Galician, Valencian, French and Chinese.
- She began an international training: last June, Leonor said goodbye to her school, Santa María de los Rosales. She entered as Infanta on September 16, 2008 and has left High School as Princess of Asturias. Now in the month of September he began his International Baccalaureate studies at UWC Atlantic College in Wales. There he will be two years away from Spain.
- First time she lives outside her home: Leonor has always lived in the Zarzuela palace. The only longer outings without his parents have been during some summer camps he has spent in the United States. On those occasions she has been accompanied by her sister Sofia.
- His first public speeches: His public life began in 2019 and since then he has given six speeches: three at the Princess of Asturias Awards in Oviedo, and two at the Princess of Girona Awards.
- Her first solo act: Last March Leonor presided over her first public act alone on the occasion of the commemoration of the XXX Anniversary of the Instituto Cervantes. The act consisted of depositing in the Caja de las Letras a copy of the Constitution and another of Don Quixote. He did not give any speeches but did ask the workers some questions.
- She has distanced herself from her sister’s outfits: While they were children the sisters were dressed in the same way, but now Sofia has more freedom of choice, while Leonor seems to cultivate a more formal style.
- Change in protocol: In the last acts of protocol, Leonor has stood next to her father, leaving Infanta Sofía next to her mother. Since childhood, they had always been by their mother’s side at official events.
- She is two years from swearing in the constitution: Since 2015 Leonor has held the Golden Fleece, the highest distinction of the Crown that indicates that the princess was incorporated into institutional life. She is the first Spanish heiress to obtain this distinction from one of the most prestigious and oldest orders of chivalry in Europe. The next key moment as heiress will be lived on October 31, 2023, when she turns 18 and swears in the Constitution.
